Harry Potter & the Rebuilding of the Magical World
by unolimbo
Summary: Sequel to HP and the Second War. the world is in shambles. I'm up to the end of his Hogwarts career already- keep reading to find out about his life after high school!
1. So it begins

Okay, this is my sequel to Harry Potter and the Second War. I really, really advise you read it first. Very little of this will make sense. This one might seem a little less action packed, because it's about the rebuilding of the magical world, not about Harry vanquishing the enemy. Basically, the enemy in this one is Harry himself. He kind of realizes he's been an a-hole, and he also has to help rebuild the world, like I said. The ministry is in shambles, thousands were killed, and nobody's really sure what to do. They just have to stick it out. And I have no idea how it will end. AT ALL.  
  
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When Harry and Cho got back to Four (a/n I think that's the number??) Privet Drive, things were different. Very different.  
  
"Come on, boy, get inside! You have work to do! Don't forget your things!" Uncle Vernon called from the front door, as Harry and Cho slowly got out of the car.  
  
"Say, Cho, can I leave you to get these?" Harry asked loudly.  
  
"Sure Harry!" Cho called. She quickly said a spell, and their trunks levitated inches off the ground. She laughed, but Harry wasn't sure why. He looked behind him, and saw the look on Uncle Vernon's face.  
  
But what happened wasn't what they expected. Uncle Vernon came storming down the drive, turning purple.  
  
"Don't think you can fool me! I heard that news report! Voldemort is gone! That means that you don't need protection, and your little magic friends aren't going to come and help you!"  
  
Harry gulped. He was right. They were far too busy to help him. They were helping orphans who didn't have uncles and aunts to live with. They were doing real magic.  
  
Uncle Vernon started to laugh. "I've got you now, boy! This is going to be the worst summer you ever had!"  
  
Cho stepped forward. "Now, Mr. Dursley, I usually wouldn't do this, but I believe I must. I am allowed to do magic. Harry may not have an army behind him anymore, but he still has me. I am done school. I can help him. And by the time I am gone, he will be able to do magic himself! You, sir, better be prepared! Not Harry."  
  
Harry was about to smile at her, but decided not to when she shot him a look.  
  
They walked up to the bedroom. Aunt Petunia walked in. "Cho! You aren't staying in here! You can have the guest room, unless we have visitors. Now put your things in there." She stayed in the room, and waited until Cho left. She lowered her voice. "Harry, I heard on the news that Voldemort is gone. Is he?"  
  
Harry looked at her. She was serious, and still scared, just like she had been the summer before Harry's fifth year.  
  
"Yes. I killed him."  
  
She nodded, and left. Harry sat there, puzzled. A few minutes later, Cho walked back into his room. "Harry, I want you to know, I am not going to do magic to help you from your uncle. You can do that yourself. I didn't go through seven years of school to attack a family of muggles every time you ask me!"  
  
She turned on her heel and walked out of the room. Harry didn't try to follow her. He sat down at his desk and wrote a letter instead.  
  
Dear Moony:  
  
I know you're very busy, but I really wanted to ask you something. Now that Voldemort is gone, are you still using Grimmauld Place as your headquarters? I know that Sirius left it to me, and I was wondering if I could move in, now that I'm seventeen. I think I'm old enough. If you or any of the others are living there, you're welcome to stay if you let me have it back. Good like with your work. I still want to help.  
  
Thanks, Harry  
  
He sent Hedwig off, and as he watched her fly away, he sighed. "Please, Moony, please. Please let me help." He whispered.  
  
* * * * *  
  
The next few days were pretty miserable. Cho was still in a bad mood from their first day back, and Uncle Vernon was in an even worse mood. He was ready to treat Cho like hell.  
  
"Get down here right now, girl!" He yelled down the stairs. Harry was in the kitchen, washing the floor.  
  
Cho walked down the stairs and looked at the floor. "Yes?"  
  
"You can't just do nothing around here! What were you doing up there? Why weren't you doing your work?"  
  
Cho tried to explain that she had finished it, but Uncle Vernon wouldn't hear it. He just kept yelling at her. Harry had had enough. He stood up.  
  
"This isn't fair. You should be yelling at me, not her." He said quietly.  
  
Uncle Vernon turned around.  
  
"She was trying to help me. Leave her alone!" He said loudly. Even Dudley, who had been watching television, came in to watch.  
  
"Don't you tell me what to do!" Uncle Vernon roared, throwing a glass at Harry. He ducked.  
  
Cho silently backed up towards the stairs, mouthing "thank you" just befre she turned around and bolted.  
  
Harry barely caught it, he was too busy dodging flying glasses. Finally, he made it upstairs. He ran into his room and closed the door. He sighed and turned around.  
  
"Ahh! What the hell!" Fred and George Weasley were standing beside Cho, who had Hedwig on her shoulder, and a rolled up letter in her hand, which she handed to Harry.  
  
"Hello to you too, mate! Miss Chang here was much more welcoming, and it's not even her house!"  
  
"We decided that poor Hedwig had much to far to go alone, so we joined her. We also wanted to make sure your letter got to you."  
  
Harry unrolled the letter, and read it out loud. He hoped he knew what it said.  
  
Harry: We are still using the house. As you know, there are many children who were left without parents. We are letting them stay here with us until they can find someone to stay with. But hey, it's your house. You and Cho are both welcome to join us here, but I doubt you'd be very comfortable. Fred and George insisted on going to get you, if you want to come.  
  
Hope to see you soon, Moony  
  
"Bloody hell, Harry, this isn't so bad! Last time I was here, there were bars on your window, and the door was locked. You're doing pretty well with yourself! Now, lets go downstairs and explain this to the Dursleys. I can't wait to see Dudley!" George said. Harry laughed, and Cho raised an eyebrow.  
  
"I'm not even going to ask." She said.  
  
A few minutes later, Fred, George, and Cho had repaired all of the glasses Uncle Vernon had destroyed.  
  
"So you're leaving. Forever. Correct?" Uncle Vernon asked, grinning.  
  
Harry nodded. He glanced at Dudley, who was hiding behind the couch, avoiding Fred, who was trying to coax him out with brightly coloured candy.  
  
"I just need a few minutes to get all my stuff, and you'll never have to see me again."  
  
"He still expects Christmas presents!" George added.  
  
Uncle Vernon grunted, and Harry wasn't sure what to do. Was that a yes?  
  
"Well, get going!" Aunt Petunia said sharply, stepping in front of Fred, who was about to throw a canary cream into Dudley's hanging open mouth.  
  
Fifteen minutes later, Harry, Cho, Fred and George had piled into a small green car, and were pulling away from Privet Drive for the last time.  
  
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Hurrah! Finished! Please review! It will get better, but I doubt Hermione and Ron will be in it much. I actually don't really like them, because I can never seem to write one of them without the other, and writing "Ron and Hermione" every few sentences just takes way t mush energy. That's me, the lazy ass.  
  
"I hope if dogs ever take over the world, and they chose a king, they don't just go by size, because I bet there are some Chihuahuas with some good ideas."  
  
-unolimbo 


	2. Grimmauld Place again

An hour in the car, and they pulled into 12 Grimmauld Place. Well, they pulled up to 10 and 14 Grimmauld Place, but a few minutes later, 12 appeared.  
  
Harry dragged his trunk out of the car; Cho was still upset about what she'd said to a muggle. After struggling up the front stairs with it, the front door swung open, and Moony was there to meet him.  
  
"Harry! Good to see you!" He smiled. Harry smiled back. It was good to be back. Good until he saw how many people were living under his roof.  
  
There were people everywhere. It was like Hogwarts, but the building was a hundredth of the size. Harry just stood there with his mouth open. Cho joined him when she came in.  
  
"Err, Harry, these are the temporary residents of your house."  
  
Every one stopped moving, all eyes laid on Harry.  
  
"Guys, this is Harry, this is his house."  
  
There were at least thirty kids, all ages, from toddlers to teens, coming up to Harry and thanking him.  
  
Cho laughed. "You've got them pretty well trained, Professor Lupin." Everyone laughed with her.  
  
After prying himself away, Harry got upstairs, taking care to notice that Mrs. Black was no longer a resident of the house. He wasn't sure where to go. Every thing had been changed into dormitories; there were at least five people's names on each door.  
  
Lupin followed him upstairs. Cho came with, and Lupin pointed her towards a door on the left.  
  
He led Harry down the hall. He was standing in front of the master bedroom. He opened the door, and before Harry stood a great room, decorated in red and gold, filled with furniture and books, and everything Harry could ever want in a bedroom.  
  
"Padfoot was still getting it ready for you. He had gotten as far as painting it, putting furniture in it, and he even started filling it with stuff. All I had to do was make it yours. Well, really, you need to do that."  
  
Harry nodded, he was still in awe. It was fabulous; he'd never seen anything that looked like more fun. Sirius really had wanted him there.  
  
When he turned around, Lupin had already gone downstairs to keep order.  
  
"Wow, that's pretty cool, Harry." Cho walked up behind him. "All I get is a  
small room that I'm sharing with four other girls, right now at least. Sarah, who I don't know, Judith, from my year in Ravenclaw, Jill, a year  
younger than you, and Pansy Parkinson." She shivered. "It's going to be  
horrible."  
  
Harry spun around. "What? Were her parents Death Eaters? I don't want her  
in my house!"  
  
"Harry!" Cho said angrily. "Pansy isn't a Death Eater, her parents were. Just because you don't get along, doesn't mean you can put her in exile!"  
  
"But- you-" Harry started.  
  
"I know, Harry, I said its horrible, but I wouldn't put her outside. Just like I said I would hurt your uncle, but I would never actually attack a  
muggle!"  
  
Harry shrugged. He wasn't about to get her riled up again. It hadn't been  
him she was mad at, so Harry was happy.  
  
"You're welcome in here whenever you want, if it gets to be too much in  
there." He said.  
  
Cho smiled. She walked in and flopped down on the big red couch. "Hey! I  
said you were welcome here! I still want to be the first one in!" Harry  
said, pouncing on her.  
  
Cho laughed. "Harry! Get off! Stop it!" She shrieked.  
  
She pushed Harry off, and he landed on the floor. He looked up, and noticed all the equipment. "Hey, cool! A T.V., and a computer, and a Gamecube, and  
all sorts of stuff! Wow, Dudley would be so jealous!"  
  
It was true. There was an entire wall in front of him, filled with  
electrical equipment, including a big screen television, a computer, at  
least three different game systems, and games to play on them.  
  
"Harry, what are all those? Didn't Dudley have that kind of stuff?"  
  
Cho had never really had a close look at all the stuff, just the T.V. at the Dursley's. They spent the next hour trying to figure out how to play  
the games.  
  
"Cho, do you think I should make this a public room, so all the other kids  
can play?" Harry said, as he watched Cho's car go flying off the road.  
  
She shrugged. "There's not really enough to go around, but you could  
probably have a sign up sheet to play on it."  
  
Harry thought about that for the next little while, not even noticing the  
number of times that Cho knocked him off the course.  
  
* * * * *  
  
The next day, Harry sent an owl to Ron. He said how he wanted him to come and stay, and he was very sorry there wasn't room yet. Getting homes for kids wasn't going as well as they had hoped.  
  
He sent the letter off just as Lupin walked in. "Harry, you said you wanted to help, right?" He asked.  
  
Harry nodded.  
  
"Follow me."  
  
He led Harry down stairs, where Cho, Moody, Tonks, and a few others were waiting. They all had their cloaks on, and were ready to go. "Where are we going?" Harry asked.  
  
Tonks grinned. "You wanted to help, so we're bringing you guys with us to the Ministry. There's work to be done!"  
  
They walked outside into the warm sun. it felt good to be able to go out with out worrying about someone trying to kill him. "How are we getting there?" Harry asked.  
  
No one said anything, because they were already at the subway station. Harry laughed, he knew that Moody was going to get strange looks for his eye, and Tonks was going to get even stranger looks for her hair, which at this moment, was electric blue, and fell around her ears.  
  
As they got off the train, Cho leaned to Harry. "That man over there. The one with the brown jacket." Harry glanced over. A dark man with a brown leather jacket and graying hair was exiting the door at the other end of the car. "He's been behind us since we got on the train."  
  
Harry looked at her skeptically. "So he got on and off the same stop. It's really no big deal. But I'll keep an eye out if it's bothering you." He added, seeing that Cho was looking hurt that he didn't believe her. She smiled. "Thanks."  
  
Harry did keep an eye out, and it seemed Moody did too; he led them in a few circles. Once or twice the man would go another direction, but he always ended up behind them again.  
  
"I see it too, I'm keeping an eye on him." Moody said quietly. Harry nodded.  
  
The man disappeared as they walked up to the phone booth for the Ministry, and Harry didn't think about him again all day.  
  
They went in twos down the elevator. When Harry got to the bottom, he gasped.  
  
The entire atrium was destroyed. There were desks and bits of material from the walls and ceiling on the floor, there were confused memos flying everywhere, and it was completely empty.  
  
"Good! You're here!" A voice rang out. Harry could tell it was that of his Transfiguration teacher, Professor McGonagall. "Come in, come in!" She was standing at the other end of the atrium, signaling for them to come.  
  
They rushed over to her, and she led them into a large room. There was a table in the centre, with one chair facing it.  
  
Professor McGonagall seated them in empty seats. When they had all sat down, Cornelius Fudge stood up from his seat and spoke.  
  
"Ahem. Everyone here is now on the staff of the Ministry of Magic, unless they do not want to, or they Are Professor Dumbledore or Harry. This is not a big enough staff, so we need to hire a new one. Let us begin."  
  
He didn't sit down, but he walked over to Cho. "Ms. Chang," He said to her, "Would you be horribly offended if I asked if you would be my secretary? The pay isn't good right now, we don't have the money; but it will get better. Professor Dumbledore said you would do very well."  
  
Cho looked slightly stunned, and Harry glanced over at Dumbledore, who winked. Harry looked back at Cho, who was nodding her head.  
  
Cornelius Fudge shook her hand strongly, grinning. He handed her a pen and some papers. Actually, quite a lot of papers. "These are the applications. They're in alphabetical order, but we need you to take them out for the specific person, and write the minutes on this entire expedition. Harry is welcome to give help, if you need it." He looked slightly red as he finished, but he returned to his seat.  
  
Harry looked at Cho. She was grinning. "My first job. This could be the start of something." She whispered.  
  
Harry grinned back. "Do you want me to take care of these?" Harry asked, pointing to the pile of papers.  
  
Cho smiled. "Please." Harry felt his insides melt. Cho hadn't smiled like that in a long time. It was a smile that said she was really happy, and she was smiling at him, because he'd dome something to make her smile.  
  
Harry realized that the door had been opened, and the first person had come in. Harry squeezed Cho's free hand; he could see she was nervous.  
  
"Name?" Some one called out. Harry could tell that it was Arthur Weasley. He smiled. It was good to see Mr. Weasley was moving up, after all the work he did.  
  
"Abernathy, Atticus."  
  
Harry scrambled to find his paper, which was easy, as it was the first one.  
  
He sat back and listened. He was still thinking about the thing Fudge had whispered to him before he left, so quietly that Harry had almost missed it.  
  
"Your opinion counts."  
  
Harry smiled.  
  
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Yay chapter 2. . . it took SOOOOO long. Now, in a week, it will be up every few days! Huzzah!  
  
Thanks for all the reviews.  
  
Jkr owns. . .not me  
  
"If you ever drop your keys into a river of molten lava, let'em go, because, man, they're gone."  
  
-unolimbo 


	3. The Ministry

The day passed slowly for Harry, he didn't really have much to do except listen. Fudge definitely listened to what Harry had to say, as he knew Harry was probably a better wizard than him, but some of the other wizards on the board did not.  
  
The table held at least thirty people, and about twenty of them were from the Ministry Council. Whenever he could, Harry would glance to see who was talking, and found that most of the Wizengamot (A/N I think that that's the head board thing at the ministry) were there. He also noticed, much to his dismay, that Dolores Umbridge had returned to her job, and she still hated Harry as much as ever. Every time Harry spoke up, she would find some way to shoot him down.  
  
When one young man came in to apply for a job in the Magical Games and Sports department, Harry almost lost his temper.  
  
"Name?"  
  
"Oliver Wood." Harry looked up. There, sitting in the small chair almost directly in front of him, was Harry's old Quiddich captain. Harry didn't move at first, he forgot that he was supposed to find Oliver's papers.  
  
"Harry? Are you ready?" He shot back into reality.  
  
"Umm. . . yeah. . ." He searched through his papers, quickly finding Oliver's papers.  
  
When he looked up, Oliver grinned at him. Harry grinned back.  
  
"Mr. Wood, why do you want to apply for this job?" Cornelius Fudge asked.  
  
"I was on the Gryffindor Quiddich team for five years, and I was made captain in my second, so I have a lot of experience with the sport. I have always been very interested in the rules; why they are there; how they got there. I've also experienced these rules, and I would like the opportunity to help make them better."  
  
He finished, smiling. Harry, out of the corner of his eye, saw Dumbledore wink at Oliver.  
  
"Thank you Mr. Wood, we will get back to you as soon as we can."  
  
"Well, I think he has the experience for the job." One of the elderly men on the council said.  
  
Umbridge leaned forward. "I must disagree." She said, in her sickeningly sweet voice. "He really has no qualifications. Harry, has he had any previous jobs that would be of any use?" She practically winced as she said his name. Harry ignored it.  
  
Harry glanced at the resume. "He was a substitute for the Cannons minor team for a short while, but he was taken off when he injured himself, and they decided not to bring him back when he was better." So many things that wouldn't help: bag boy. . . store worker. . . Harry kept looking, but hi eyes bounced back to store worker. "Aha! He worked for six months in Quality Quiddich Supplies, in Hogsmeade, but was laid off when the owner found out that there would be no Hogwarts students coming anymore."  
  
Umbridge looked unhappy at this, but still managed to bring him down. "He may know a lot about the sport, but knowing how to play doesn't mean he would be any help in the office. He obviously has no experience working in a place like this."  
  
A few of the wizards nodded, mumbling to each other. Dumbledore looked straight forward, not moving an inch.  
  
"But this is a good time to have new people with new ideas. While everything is being rebuilt, it might be wise to bring in new ideas that will work for the future, rather than stay in the past. He really does know his stuff; he could bring those new ideas the ministry needs."  
  
Harry sat back smugly, watching the number of people nodding at his remark. Cho squeezed his hand.  
  
"But he's so young!"  
  
At this Dumbledore leaned forwards and spoke. "If we are hiring solely on age, we will have to raise the dead. There is no reason not to hire young, forward thinkers. We are not in a time or place to be picky."  
  
Dolores Umbridge wasn't about to take that. "Harry just wants this young man to get the job because they are friends! And he is one of Dumbledore's previous students!"  
  
A few of the wizards just shook their heads. Harry spoke up. "I have had no contact with him in three years. I have no reason to wish him a better job. I just want the best Ministry we can have."  
  
Cornelius Fudge glanced at Umbridge, who had gone back to smiling sweetly. He took this as an agreement. 'Very well! Mr. Wood is now an employee of the Ministry of Magic."  
  
Harry stamped the resume, and put it in a pile of other new employees. He was truly happy for Oliver, but he was really happy for himself. He'd stood up to Umbridge.  
  
The rest of the day passed, and they went through hundreds of resumes. There was only one more person for that day, and in he walked. Harry sighed, and he heard Cho sigh as well. it was the man from the subway.  
  
"Name?"  
  
"Gregory Black." Harry's heart jumped at this, but he settled down. Black was a very common name. He looked through the papers, but he couldn't find his.  
  
"Did you give in an application, Mr. Black?" Harry asked, trying his best to sound professional.  
  
"No, I didn't. I had nothing to say on it that I couldn't say in person."  
  
A few of the wizards looked around, raising their eyebrows. Harry felt slightly uneasy about this, what if it was because he hadn't been meaning to apply, he'd just ended up in here after following them?  
  
He shook the feeling off. He barely listened to what Black was saying; he was thinking about everything that had happened today. He, Harry, was doing volunteer work, but what about Cho? Would she be getting a place of her own, now that she had a paying job?  
  
Harry was thinking so hard, he didn't even notice Cho poke him. "Harry!" She said. "Let's go!"  
  
Fudge walked up to Cho. "Ms. Chang, I would like to give you a proper welcome to the Ministry of Magic. We are very happy to have you on our staff. You will work from nine o'clock to five o'clock on weekdays, but be prepared for overtime in the early days. As I said, we don't have much right now, so your salary will be ten galleons an hour. We will try to raise it as soon as we can. Good night, Ms. Chang, Harry."  
  
He turned and walked away. Harry stood up. "Cho! You're starting pretty high, you know. Even if the pay is low, if you decide to leave, it will look amazing on any resume. Secretary to the Minister of Magic. Congratulations!" He reached to shake her hand jokingly, when Umbridge walked up.  
  
"Harry. I would like to speak to you alone, please." Harry glanced across the room to Moody, who was waiting at the door. He nodded, so Harry reluctantly agreed. "Good, you remember how to treat your elders." She said, dragging him into a corner.  
  
"Now, Harry. I won't take anything from you. I am your superior, and your better. You will treat me with respect in front of the Wizengamot. Do you understand?" She tightened her grip on Harry's arm threateningly. He barely noticed it, he'd been in far worse pain before. He was fuming about her saying she was his better.  
  
He nodded anyway. "Ms. Umbridge?" He asked politely. "Madame." She said sweetly. Harry nodded.  
  
"Where were you on June First?"  
  
She looked confused for a second, but realized where he was going. "I was in Paris, working on a treaty."  
  
Harry almost laughed. Any wizard who would have wanted to make a treaty was with him, fighting. At least, the ones young and strong enough were. But harry didn't want to think about that.  
  
"Well, Madame Umbridge, while you were making a treaty, I was fighting a battle. I, a sixteen year old boy, was chopping off the head of the greatest and most evil wizard in history. You are not my better."  
  
He walked right by her, before she had time to put on a smile.  
  
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thanks for all the reviews, they were great. . . no time to answer specifics right now, I'll do it in the next chappie.  
  
I own nothing, except Black. G'night!  
  
-unolimbo 


	4. Things to come

Wow. . . I can't believe I screwed that up. . . stupid, stupid. . . my excuse is that it was late and I was tired. Just pretend it's galleons, not dollars, okay? But I fixed it, so it's all good now, right? Yay!  
  
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The next three days were spent with lots of work. Harry was doing so much work, the ministry decided to pay him, though not much. He didn't mind, he was glad to help, and he got to spend lots of time helping Cho, Professor Dumbledore, and the Minister, though that was the person he liked to spend time with least, as he seemed intent on making it up to Harry, after not believing him in his fifth year.  
  
"Harry!" Mr. Weasley came up to Harry. "Ron has been dying to see you, as I'm sure you know from his letters, he's coming in to help tomorrow. Hermione's coming too. We just wanted you to know. Alright, then?"  
  
"Yeah!" Harry grinned.  
  
He walked up to Cho's desk. "What are you so happy about?" She asked.  
  
He told her. "Think about it. My two best friends and my girlfriends. I'm going to have the best lunch hour ever." He laughed, starting through a pile of singed documents.  
  
Cho smiled. "There's an election in a few months for the next Minister of Magic, you know that?"  
  
Harry shook his head. "I did not."  
  
"Well, I was thinking, maybe we could get Professor Lupin to run? Or Mr. Weasley?"  
  
Harry sat back to think about it. "No one would vote for Lupin. They'd be too afraid of the fact that he's a werewolf."  
  
Cho shook her head. "The people have grown, I think. If we focus on what he has done for the wizarding community, leading the Battle, and everything."  
  
"I thought I did that." Harry said.  
  
Cho rolled her eyes. "You know what I mean. He was organizing it for months, putting himself in danger to recruit people, fighting, even when everyone thought he would lose. Besides," She said, seeing the mock hurt look on Harry's face, "If you were old enough, I wouldn't even ask you if you wanted to run. I would force you."  
  
Harry couldn't help but laugh.  
  
"Seriously, though, it could be a good idea."  
  
Cho nodded. "You bet. In fact, it's my job to run the election. All of the résumé's come to me, and I lead the counting of the ballots. I was reading up on it. I asked Mr. Fudge, and he said my official title is 'Ministry Assistant.' It means I not only assist the Minister, but the entire Ministry. This job is way more than we thought. It's the most important non- celebrity job in the ministry."  
  
Harry raised his eyebrows. "Non-celebrity?"  
  
"It means not in the papers. Everyone knows who is on the Wizengamot, and who the Minister is. But the Ministry Assistant has just as much power as them, just in different areas. Anyway, I am supposed to lead the election, and I am in charge of hiring, along with the heads of the specific department. For example, if they need someone new in Magical Sports and Games, it's up to the head of that department and me, together, to hire someone! It's so amazing, my first job, and it's something people work their entire lives for!"  
  
Harry smiled. "That's great, Cho. I'm very proud of you." He kissed her, and they both went back to their work.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Harry and Cho left for work early the next day, as they wanted to take an extra long lunch break with Ron and Hermione.  
  
"It's going to be weird. Today's the day that all the new people start. It's going to be full of people again."  
  
Cho nodded. "It's not even again for me. I've never been to the Ministry with more than what we've had the past few days."  
  
They stood there for a few minute, silently.  
  
"Do you realize, we're not going to be some young kids just on the job. We're like, veterans." Harry said as they got off the train.  
  
Cho laughed. "Doesn't that just make you feel old?"  
  
"No, I'm just a student with a summer job. You're the one with the job people work their entire lives for."  
  
"Excuse me!" Cho laughed, putting her hands on her hips.  
  
They entered the guest entrance, as usual.  
  
There was a sign on the apparition blocks, saying 'now open for transit."  
  
Harry smiled. "Finally. We can actually sleep in now!"  
  
Cho nodded. She was still a little unsure of apparition. She'd only done it a few times, even if she had passed the test with flying colours.  
  
"Harry!" They turned around to see Ron and Hermione running towards them.  
  
"Hey guys." He said, hugging them.  
  
"Err, hello." Cho said.  
  
"Good morning, Cho." Hermione said cheerily. Ron grunted, and Hermione punched his arm. "Oh, get over it, Ron!"  
  
"What? What did I do?"  
  
"You grunted! Say hello!"  
  
Ron turned red. "Hi."  
  
Hermione sighed, making Cho laugh. That broke the ice, and they all walked into Cho's office, that Harry was sharing for the summer.  
  
"Wow, Cho, this is amazing!" Ron whistled when he walked in.  
  
"What exactly is your position?" Hermione asked.  
  
"Ministry Assistant." Harry said. "Most important job, besides the Wizengamot."  
  
They spent the rest of the day sorting through papers, cleaning, and doing as much work that didn't involve thinking as possible, as well as taking a rather lengthy lunch break.  
  
All too soon, it was time to leave.  
  
"Good bye, Harry!" Hermione said. I'll see you at school."  
  
Ron said the same.  
  
Unfortunately, there wasn't going to be room for them at Grimmauld Place.  
  
Harry and Cho apparated home, under the watchful eye of Moody, on the receiving end, and Moony, on the Ministry end.  
  
After successfully apparating, Harry and Cho went upstairs to find some privacy, only to realize they couldn't get it in either of their rooms.  
  
Judith, Pansy, and Jill were in Cho's room, and the electronics in Harry's room had caused it to be the busiest in the house. After looking in every room, they decided to visit Buckbeak.  
  
They opened the door and both bowed to him. Slowly, his knees bent, and they walked up to him.  
  
"Hey buddy." Harry said, sitting down beside him. Cho patted his neck, which seemed to make Buckbeak happy.  
  
She sat down beside Harry and leaned on him. "I'm going to miss you when you're at school."  
  
"Cho, you make the rules, remember? I'll send you the date for every single Hogsmeade weekend, and we can talk by owl, or Floo powder. It will be fine, I promise."  
  
Cho nodded. He kissed her, and put his arm around her. They sat like that, in comfortable silence, until it was time for dinner.  
  
After dinner, Cho went back to her room to read. Pansy, Judith and Jill went too.  
  
"Hey Cho." Judith said.  
  
"Hey guys."  
  
"So, Cho, you need to talk, girl. What's up?" Jill said.  
  
Cho sat up. "What do you mean?"  
  
They rolled their eyes. "We just want to talk to you. You know, girls, communicating orally. Everyone's doing it. It's all the rage." Judith said.  
  
They all laughed. "I'm sorry, guys, I guess I forgot I'm supposed to talk to you, aren't I?"  
  
* * * * *  
  
The rest of the summer passed quickly, with work and a full house. It was time for Harry to go back to school.  
  
Cho came with Harry to King's Cross.  
  
"Now Cho," Harry said. "Feel free to stay all year, but if you get bored of all the people, feel free to move out, now that you've got the money."  
  
She didn't laugh. Harry went silent.  
  
"I'm going to miss you, Harry."  
  
Harry held her hand. "I'll miss you too." He kissed her, and got on the train. He knew he had to leave her right away, or it would be harder.  
  
He also knew this year would be different than any other. The school would be more subdued, after so many deaths, and the students would have had time to think about everything that had happened.  
  
And Harry would be ready for everything.  
  
What Harry wouldn't be ready for, was one man. One man who could ruin life for Harry.  
  
One man who'd been watching his every move for almost two months, since he started at the Ministry.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
JKReviewer/ potter4prez: Sorry, that information cannot be disclosed at this time. Just sit tight, the answers will come. And I changed it to galleons.  
  
The counter: no. it isn't. or at least, I'm trying to make it something more. The only thing I knew I was writing about at the time was the relationship, so that's what I wrote about. But it will shift to the back seat soon, when the adventure and mystery kicks in. well, adventure, I hope, and mystery I doubt. You see, no matter how hard I try, I really, really suck at writing.  
  
Thanks for all the reviews, but you people can do better! Let's ask for twenty before the next chapter! Please?  
  
-unolimbo 


	5. School days

Harry found an empty compartment on the train. He didn't really know what he was going to do with himself. Ron and Hermione were going to be in the Prefect's compartment, and he couldn't go find Cho. He took out his Quiddich Through the Ages, and prepared to read it for the hundredth time.  
  
"I really need more books." He sighed.  
  
"Talking to ourselves, are we, Potter?"  
  
Harry looked up. Malfoy was standing there, flanked by his two cronies, Crabbe and Goyle.  
  
"Go away." Harry said. "You know what happened to your father. I can make it happen to you."  
  
Malfoy's face went red. "You don't know what's going on, Potter! There's more to this than meets the eye. And our fathers will be the first men to escape from Azkaban twice."  
  
Harry stood up. "They didn't escape, they were let out. And it isn't Dementors anymore, I killed all of them, remember? They have even better security. So I wouldn't bet on it." He closed the door in their faces, and sat back down, fuming.  
  
He was hoping some of his friends would come in soon, but no one did. The snack witch came and went, and still no one came. Harry almost fell asleep. His eyes were closed when he heard the latch open on the door. He opened on eye.  
  
"Hey guys. What were you planning to do to me?" He asked without opening his eyes.  
  
Seamus, Dean, and Neville spun around. "Err, nothing, Harry!"  
  
Harry sat up. "What's behind your back?"  
  
They showed him. "Fred and George's new inventory. This one makes them fart uncontrollably for twenty minutes, and this one makes them sprout antennae." Seamus said.  
  
"We were trying to give them to first years, but this was so perfect!" Dean said.  
  
Harry laughed. "Good try, though. C'mon, sit down. No ones been here the whole trip, except Malfoy."  
  
They sat down and proceeded to eat most of the candy Harry had bought from the snack witch.  
  
"So, Harry, what did you do this summer?" Neville asked.  
  
"I was working at the Ministry. It's not looking so great, but it's getting there. What about you guys?"  
  
"I was in Canada with my grandma." Neville said.  
  
"I stayed at home, my dad lost his job at the Ministry after everything happened." Seamus said.  
  
"Yeah, I stayed at home too."  
  
Harry sat up straight. "He lost his job? Why would they fire the staff? We spent so much time and effort hiring new people!"  
  
Seamus shrugged.  
  
Harry thought about that. "I'll get Cho to check that out. What was your dad's job?"  
  
"Security guard." Seamus mumbled. He seemed embarrassed about it.  
  
"Oh, that makes sense, there was no need for security, there was nothing to guard. I'm sure he's get it back. But I'll get Cho to check anyway."  
  
"Cho Chang? She works at the Ministry?" Dean asked.  
  
Harry nodded. "She's Ministry Assistant."  
  
They all nodded in recognition and dropped the subject. "Hey, do you guys know who Head Boy and Girl are?" Harry asked, changing the subject. "It has to be one of the prefects, right?"  
  
Neville shook his head. "My grandma said it could be anyone in our year, it just usually is a prefect because the staff already know they can lead."  
  
They talked about school for the rest of the ride, joking and laughing.  
  
Just after nightfall, they pulled into the station. Harry walked on to the platform and glanced at the Thestrals. He was sure they would look bigger, brighter, stronger, after all the death he had seen.  
  
He found Ron and Hermione in a carriage, and sat down with them. "Do you guys know ho the Head Boy and Girl are?" He asked once they'd settled.  
  
Hermione shrugged. "I don't know the head boy, but I'm Head Girl!"  
  
Harry grinned. "Congratulations, Hermione!"  
  
He glanced at Ron, who didn't look particularly happy. "Umm, I'm sorry you didn't get Head Boy, Ron."  
  
Ron looked up and smiled. "It's okay. I got prefect, and I'm on the Quiddich team. That's good enough for me!"  
  
Harry smiled back. He was glad Ron wasn't bitter, he just wanted to know who Head Boy was.  
  
They walked in to the Great Hall and sat down. "It's good to be back, but I think I'm going to miss Grimmauld Place." Harry laughed.  
  
The first years came in, and Harry watched them be sorted. He leaned to Ron. "Do you realize this is our last Sorting?" He said. Ron nodded.  
  
"You'll probably be back, Harry. You're bound to be Defense Teacher again." Harry shrugged.  
  
"Maybe."  
  
After the sorting, Dumbledore stood up for his speech. "Ladies and Gentlemen, boys and girls. I would like to welcome you to another year at Hogwarts!"  
  
Everyone cheered, and Dumbledore smiled. "I would like to introduce you to your new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Lupin."  
  
"Hey!" Ron said. Everyone laughed. Harry was confused, too. Why hadn't Moony told them?  
  
"As I was saying, Mr. Weasley, some of your parents may be unsure of Professor Lupin's teaching ability, but I assure you, he is the best teacher you could have."  
  
"Hear, hear!" Harry and Ron shouted. Lupin laughed.  
  
"As you all know, the Forbidden Forest is off limits to all students, and all products made by Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes are considered dangerous, and, much to my dismay, banned from the schools grounds. You may see the full list of forbidden items on the door of Mr. Filch's office. And I promise I'll work on the Weasley's Wheezes. I enjoy them as much as you do. Now, eat!"  
  
Food appeared on the table, and Harry sighed with relief. "Everything is as it should be." He thought.  
  
Harry looked up to see Professor McGonagall walking towards him. "Mr. Potter, please see Professor Dumbledore in his office after dinner, thank you."  
  
She walked away. Harry shrugged away the look he was getting from Hermione.  
  
After the meal Harry walked to Dumbledore's office. The door was open, waiting for him. He walked in to see Dumbledore sitting behind his desk, waiting for him.  
  
"Hello, Professor."  
  
"Hello, Harry. Please, sit down."  
  
Harry did, and Fawkes perched on his knee.  
  
"As I'm sure you've discovered, we have not assigned a Head Boy yet." Harry nodded. "Usually, the Head Boy is a prefect, but we were not satisfied with any of your years prefects. We have decided that you should be Head Boy. You have shown more leadership than all of the prefects combined, and you would be a wonderful Head Boy. Do you wish to accept the position?"  
  
Harry was a little shocked, but he nodded. "Thank you, sir."  
  
Dumbledore smiled. "Now go spend some time with your friends."  
  
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thanks for all the reviews, they're making me feel all warm and fuzzy inside, but c'mon people! My newest fiction, After the Deed, has two chapters, and it has the same number of reviews! Let's get cracking!  
  
Anyhow, thanks for all the reviews!  
  
-unolimbo 


	6. A new beginning, and lots of fun fun fun

Potter4prez: You'll find out, and no, and no. that's the answers to your three questions.  
  
Luke etc.: wow, lots of reviews. . . did you just want me to write more? Naughty! I know the headboy thing was predictable, but I thought about it, and I realized that none of the boys who were prefects were really 'head boy material.' So I changed it. Besides, it's fun to write! I don't make the chapters any specific length, just over 1000 words. I just stop when I come to a good place, or I get really bored, and think it's been a while since I posted.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Harry walked quickly back to the common room. He stopped just outside the door.  
  
"Umm, I'm afraid I don't know the password." He said to the Fat Lady.  
  
She frowned. "I'm sorry, dear boy, but I can't just let any person in without the password, Gryffindor would no longer be safe!"  
  
"But, you know me!" Harry pleaded.  
  
She shook her head. "How do I know you're not some other student, using a potion, or something silly like that? Disgraceful! Whoops!" She said as her painting swung open.  
  
"Oh good, Harry. I've been checking every few minutes for you, you don't know the password, do you?" Hermione asked. Harry grinned and shook his head.  
  
"It's Ebony Black." She said. "What are you so happy about? You look much less grump than usual."  
  
Harry was about to tell her, but frowned, following her inside. "What do you mean, grumpy?" He demanded.  
  
Hermione rolled her eyes. "Since fifth year, you have been incredibly grumpy. But you're not anymore, and we're very proud of you. Go on."  
  
Harry sat down in a chair across from Ron and Hermione. He glanced uneasily at Ron, knowing that however much Ron didn't care about being Head Boy, he would still be upset.  
  
"I'm Head Boy." He said.  
  
Hermione smiled "Harry, that's wonderful! Congratulations!"  
  
Ron smiled weakly. "Congrats, mate."  
  
Harry looked at him. "Are you okay with it?"  
  
Ron shrugged. "I knew I wouldn't get it, there's no use in moping."  
  
Hermione grinned at him. "That was very noble of you, Ron. Not like you at all."  
  
Harry laughed. "Now you're trying to make enemies, aren't you?"  
  
Ron laughed. "She doesn't need to try, do you Herm? We hate you plenty already!"  
  
Hermione flushed, but sat tall. "That's a fine way to treat your head girl! You better be careful, or I'll take points off!"  
  
Harry and Ron glanced at each other. "Herm, you don't want to lose points any more than we do."  
  
"Besides, Harry can just put them back on, can't you mate?"  
  
Harry grinned. "Yep."  
  
Hermione sighed loudly. "I'm going upstairs to work." She said, getting up.  
  
"But Herm, it's the first day back!"  
  
Ron shrugged when she didn't answer. "You want to play a game of chess?"  
  
Harry nodded.  
  
"So, Ron, what did you do this summer?" Harry asked, trying to revive his queen, so she could be brought back into the game.  
  
"Nothing much, Herm came over, I worked in Fred and Georges shop for a few weeks, but they fired me." His face went slightly red.  
  
Harry raised his eyebrows.  
  
"I kept breaking stuff. They've got a great location, but it's really small. Every time I went into the back room to pick something up, I would break something, or drop food, or something."  
  
Harry laughed. "What did you and Hermione do? Are you going out?"  
  
Ron blushed deeply. "No." He said quickly. "We're not."  
  
Harry smiled. "Ask her out, mate."  
  
"So Harry, what did you do this summer?" He asked loudly, changing the subject.  
  
Harry shrugged. "I worked, all summer. Made a fair bit of money, at that. It was good, it was actually the most private time of the day. There were so many people at Grimmauld Place, I never got any privacy. I'm hoping it empties out by next summer, otherwise, I'm renting a flat."  
  
"Checkmate." Ron said. "Loser."  
  
Harry laughed. "Sidekick."  
  
"Show off."  
  
"Wimp."  
  
"Shut up, Harry."  
  
"No, you shut up, Ron." Harry laughed. "I'm going to bed. Good night." He got up, and Ron followed him up to the Dorm.  
  
"Ron?" He asked as he fell asleep.  
  
"Mmhmm?" Came the muffled response from the bed beside him.  
  
"This is going to be my best year yet."  
  
"Cheers, mate." Ron laughed, before they both fell asleep.  
  
Harry woke up early the next morning. He got out of bed and walked down to the common room. Just as he got there, he realized that Cho didn't know he was Head Boy.  
  
He sat down and wrote to her.  
  
Dear Cho:  
  
Guess what? I'm Head Boy! Dumbledore said he didn't think any of this year's prefects were up to it. And did you know Moony is the new DADA teacher? I think I'm going to miss that office. . . it was pretty cool. I've been thinking, maybe I should ask Dumbledore if I'm allowed to talk to you by Floo. I mean, if I'm not, I don't want to do it in the middle of the afternoon, or something. I have a period with no class on Thursday, at ten o'clock. I probably should do the homework I'm going to get, but oh well. Can you take your break early, or something? If you can, I'll be waiting in the Gryffindor common room at ten. If not, don't worry, I'll be studying here anyway, it's not like you're going to be leaving me here alone. Well, alone, but not unoccupied!  
  
Love, Harry  
  
He smiled as he read it over. Hermione was right, he was a lot happier this year. Last year, most of his conversations with Cho had been about death, and despair. Now, they were about happy times and meetings.  
  
He strolled up to the Owlrey to send off his letter. "'Lo, Hedwig." He said, as she nuzzled him.  
  
"Bring this to Cho, alright?"  
  
She nipped his ear and flew off.  
  
He walked down to the Great Hall for breakfast.  
  
"Harry!"  
  
He spun around. "Hey, Ron, what's up?" He asked.  
  
"Where were you this morning?"  
  
"I wrote a letter to Cho, and I brought it to Hedwig."  
  
Ron nodded. "Cool."  
  
They sat down at the table and picked up some toast.  
  
"Hello, boys." Hermione said, walking up to them. "Harry! You're Head Boy! You have to give these to the prefects in each house so they can give them out. Come on, help me."  
  
Harry stood up. "Err, I don't know who the prefects are." He said.  
  
Hermione rolled her eyes. "Why does everything have to be complicated with you, Harry?" She asked.  
  
He shrugged.  
  
"Why couldn't they have told you in time for the Prefect's meeting? Anyway, you can give them to the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff prefects. They are Phillip Fleming, Orlando Dickson, Emily Snigg, and Sam McGregor."  
  
Harry didn't move.  
  
"There, there, and there." She pointed to four people at the Hufflepuff and Gryffindor tables. Harry grinned.  
  
"Thanks, Herm." He walked off with the timetables. "Which one of you is a prefect?" He asked, feeling suspiciously like Ron.  
  
"I am. Phillip Fleming." Harry handed him the Hufflepuff timetables. "Go find your other prefect and give these out to everyone."  
  
He walked away.  
  
He did the same for Orlando Dickson and Sam McGregor, the Gryffindor prefects.  
  
Finally, he got to sit down and look at his own timetable.  
  
"Bloody hell." He said to Ron. "Potions first." He looked up. Ron was grumbling silently.  
  
"Not bad after that, though. DADA, then Transfiguration, but then I've got Double History of Magic. That kind of sucks."  
  
Ron agreed, but they were happy that they had three classes together.  
  
"Why don't you have DADA second? You are taking it, right?"  
  
Ron nodded.  
  
Hermione, who had sat down across the table, took Harry's timetable. "There's your answer. 'Advanced DADA.' I'm taking it too."  
  
Harry shrugged. He glanced at Ron, who looked a little crestfallen at not being in the class.  
  
"It just means more work, Ron."  
  
That cheered him up a bit, and they went back to their rooms to get ready for first period.  
  
"Welcome to Seventh Year N.E.W.T. Potions. If you are in this class, you are expected to receive at least (A/N I can't remember what the average one is called. . . it goes outstanding, Exceeds expectations, something, something, something, and troll. Can people please tell me what they are?) average. Anything below, and you will be asked to leave. Now, there is a potion on the board, please begin." Snape seemed as evil as he had every other year. Harry hadn't even gotten his hopes up this year.  
  
He looked at the board. De-stink potion. To make things not stink? Harry read the instructions carefully.  
  
Add batwings, stir three times, add water, stir four times, add powder of Hippogriff claw (just a pinch), stir for exactly six minutes.  
  
He followed these instructions, and many more, incredibly carefully. He glanced at Ron's cauldron, which was having no reaction what so ever. Hermione's was giving off a fine pink mist, and his, his was giving off exactly the same mist, just purple. Oh well, almost.  
  
"Your potion should be giving off a purpley-pink mist right now, and after the next step, it should be giving off heavy purple smoke, and once you've added the Yggdrasill root, it should bubble slightly, and go back to a pink or purple mist.  
  
Almost ten minutes later, Harry's potion was giving off exactly the right colour of mist, Ron's was giving off the same mist, but green, and slightly thicker, and Hermione's was exactly the same as Harry's. He grinned. He'd done it right. And Snape couldn't say Hermione had helped him. She was on Ron's other side.  
  
Everything in this day was going right.  
  
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Hurrah for chapter 6. . .  
  
Review!  
  
-unolimbo 


	7. of Floo and friend

That night, Harry sat in the common room, thinking about how perfect everything had been that day.  
  
Hedwig tapped on the window, dragging Harry out of his chair.  
  
"Hey, Hedwig. Got something for me?" He said, petting her.  
  
He took the letter off of her leg and patted her on the head. "Thanks." He sat down and opened the letter.  
  
Dear Harry:  
  
Thank you for the letter. Firstly: CONGRATULATIONS! That is so good! Why didn't they tell you that before, though? Anyway, I can talk to you on Thursday, no problem. I do have a problem, though. Do you remember that man we saw on our first day at work? The one who applied for the Ministry? And do you remember how he didn't get the job? Well, I saw him again. He was taking the same route, and I saw him right up until I got to the Ministry. Am I right to be worried, or am I just overreacting? If I see him again, I'll tell Moody, or something. He will probably say I should be apparating to work anyway. I'll see you at ten on Thursday!  
  
Love, Cho  
  
She'd seen him again? Harry wasn't sure what to think. The man was simply an applicant. Still, he had the same name as Sirius, and he did look very familiar.  
  
He shook his head. It couldn't be anyone he knew.  
  
He went to bed, so that his dreams would make him forget everything he had thought in the last few minutes.  
  
The week passed quickly, Harry just waiting for Thursday at ten o'clock. Finally, it came, but not without suffering.  
  
Harry lived through three Potions classes (only one in which Snape refused to even mark his potion), two History of Magic classes where he and Ron both fell asleep, only to be frowned on by Hermione, and long hours of boredom.  
  
He sat in the arm chair by the fire, waiting. Finally, Cho's face popped up in it.  
  
"Sorry I'm late, Harry. Just as I was leaving, the Minister asked me to help him. How are you doing?"  
  
Harry smiled. "Great. I'm doing really well in Potions, which certainly makes me happy. Quiddich hasn't started yet, but I hope it will soon. What about you?"  
  
She laughed. "I work. That's basically it. I really need to get myself a social life, don't you agree? Anyway, it's so different here, now that everyone has gone back to school. It's so empty!" She laughed again.  
  
"What about Black? Did you see him again?" He asked quietly.  
  
She nodded slowly. "I told Moony, and he's going to keep an eye out. He also insisted that I start apparating to school. He says the world's not safe."  
  
They talked for an hour, when they had to part, as Harry had Defence Against the Dark Arts, and Cho's break time was up.  
  
"Bye, Cho. Go out tonight, alright? If worse comes to worse, maybe you can hang out with Wood and his friends."  
  
Cho smiled. "I would laugh, if it wasn't such a good idea. Goodbye, I'll talk to you soon!"  
  
She disappeared.  
  
Harry smiled. He missed her, and he wanted more than to just talk to her. He wanted to sit beside her, hold her hand, kiss her.  
  
He sat there for a moment, before he realized that he needed to get to class.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Wow. Shortest chapter EVER! I'm really sorry, but I have a total writer's block. I know exactly what I want to happen, but I don't know how to write it. I find that it's a serious road block to have Harry always at school. It gets annoying sometimes. I'm going to do some stuff at Hogsmeade, so please don't suggest that. I just need to think about it a bit, and I think I need to get this chapter behind me to do that.  
  
Thanks, unolimbo 


	8. A black man

"Brilliant! Hogsmeade weekend!" Ron said. "Should we spend it at the Three Broomsticks, or the candy store? (A/N I can't remember the name of the store)"  
  
Harry shook his head. "I'm spending it with Cho. She's meeting me there. We agreed to meet on all the Hogsmeade weekends. Sorry, mate. Why don't you ask Hermione?"  
  
He shrugged. "She wouldn't want to go."  
  
Harry rolled his eyes. "You don't know that. Now ask her, or shut up." He laughed. "Besides, I think Hermione has a thing for you."  
  
"I do?" Came Hermione's voice from behind the.  
  
"Err- Hello Herm." Ron turned red.  
  
"Don't mind him. I was just making fun of him. I'll see you guys later, I'm going to write a letter to Cho, to tell her about the Hogsmeade weekend."  
  
He walked to the stairs. As he got there, he looked over his shoulder and saw Hermione looking at Ron skeptically. He chuckled. "She doesn't believe him. He was right."  
  
He jogged up the stairs to write to Cho.  
  
Four days later, he was laughing as he watched Ron obsess over what he would wear to impress Hermione.  
  
"Ron, how the hell would I know what you should wear? I usually put on clothing, usually some that is appropriate to the weather." He laughed.  
  
Ron groaned. "Fine. But if anything goes wrong, it's your fault." He pointed at Harry.  
  
"Even if you do something stupid?" Harry asked, stepping back, away from Ron's reach, before he could answer.  
  
"C'mon, we're going to be late."  
  
They ran down the stairs to the common room, where Hermione was waiting.  
  
"Goodness, you two are slower than snails." She shook her head.  
  
"Ron's fault. He didn't know what to wear."  
  
Ron blushed. "You're trying to make my life miserable, aren't you?"  
  
"Yep." Harry laughed, as they walked to the gate of Hogsmeade.  
  
"I'll see you two later, okay?" Harry said, turning away from them, so not to interfere with their date.  
  
"Well, well. Potter is all by his lonesome so Weasel and Mudblood can go on a date?" Came Malfoy's voice from behind Harry.  
  
"Actually, I have a date." Harry said. "I'm meeting her here."  
  
Malfoy looked slightly angry, but didn't say anything about it. "You? You have a date? With who? One of the house elves?" He laughed. Crabbe and Goyle behind him also chuckled.  
  
"No, with me." Cho walked up and held Harry's hand. "C'mon, let's go to Madam Malkin's." She kissed him on the cheek. Harry glanced behind him when they got to the coffee shop, and saw Malfoy, still bright red with anger, storming off towards the candy shop.  
  
"How have you been?" Harry asked her, as they sat down at a table.  
  
"Good. Better now." She smiled. "I missed you."  
  
They talked for a while, sipping their coffees slowly.  
  
After what seemed like to short a day, Harry and Cho said their goodbyes.  
  
"I love you, Cho." Harry said, as he kissed her.  
  
"I love you too." She smiled. "I'm not usually one for public displays of affection, but I think I'll forget about that."  
  
She kissed him back. They stood there for a moment, hand in hand.  
  
"Bye, Cho." Harry said, kissing her one more time. He stood there, watching, as she apparated back to Grimmauld Place.  
  
Harry took a short cut through the nearest alley, which he had learned from Fred and George, was the quickest way back to the school entrance.  
  
"Seems like you've got a girlfriend, eh Harry?" A voice said.  
  
Harry spun around. There was no one behind him. "Who said that?" He asked.  
  
"Don't recognize me, Harry? It has been a long time."  
  
Harry gripped his wand in his pocket. Who ever this was, Harry was ready for him.  
  
"Show yourself." Harry said.  
  
"I can't." Came the voice. "I can't risk someone seeing me. Now, please stop circling, it looks suspicious. And stop yelling, too. Both things that draw far too much attention."  
  
Harry, not knowing why, obeyed. There was something comforting about the voice. Something that said he knew him. "Much better. I didn't think I'd get to meet you here, I just thought I'd have to owl you. I never could catch you on your own. But this works much better."  
  
Harry peered into the dark shadows of the alley. He could see the form of a man standing in them.  
  
"Tell me who you are. And you can't do anything to me, people are expecting me in a few moments."  
  
He laughed. "No they aren't Harry. The only people here who would expect you are Ron or Hermione. And they looked plenty content without you."  
  
Harry stepped closer to the man.  
  
"Fine." He sighed. "It's me."  
  
He stepped out just far enough for Harry to see him, but not far enough for anyone outside of the alley.  
  
"It's good to see you again."  
  
Harry looked up at the man's face. Sirius was looking back at him.  
  
"Sirius!" Harry exclaimed. He was about to leap forward and hug him, but he held himself back.  
  
"Tell me something only you or me would know." He said, gripping his wand still.  
  
Sirius sighed. "I don't know what only you or me would know. My animagus is a black dog, my best friends were named Prongs, Moony, and Wormtail. I was accused of murdering Wormtail, but he's still alive. My friends animagi were a stag and a rat, and Lupin is a werewolf. The only people who knew I was innocent were your friends, most of the Weasley clan, and a few of the Hogwarts staff."  
  
Harry sighed and leapt forward to hug him.  
  
"Well," he laughed. "I guess I did a good enough job."  
  
Harry felt like he was going to cry. "I have to go back to school. Does anyone else know about you being here?"  
  
Sirius shook his head. "We could probably tell Dumbledore, maybe he would let us use his office to talk."  
  
Harry hugged him again. "I'm sure he'll agree. I'll ask him tonight. Where can I send a letter to?" He asked.  
  
"I'm between residences at the time." He grinned. "You don't happen to have any food with you, do you?"  
  
Harry shook his head. "I'm sorry, I never got to go to the candy store."  
  
Sirius sighed and hugged Harry again. "Goodbye, Harry." Harry jogged back to the entrance to the school. He turned around when he got to the gate, but Sirius was gone.  
  
That night, Harry went to look for Dumbledore. As Head Boy, he knew the password to Dumbledore's office, so he checked there first.  
  
He knocked on the door. "Come in, Harry." Came Dumbledore's voice.  
  
"Good evening, Professor." Harry said, wondering how he knew he was coming. That's when he noticed that Sirius was sitting in a chair on the other side of the room.  
  
"Good night, Mr. Black, Harry. Please be back to the Gryffindor tower by curfew, Harry." He walked out of the room swiftly, leaving Harry and Sirius alone.  
  
"Why didn't you tell me you were alive? It's been a year and a half!" Harry demanded.  
  
Sirius' dark eyes looked empty, like they had when he had just gotten out of Azkaban. "I wasn't alive." He said. "I was dead. I came back because I was not done."  
  
Harry looked at him, confused.  
  
"I died before I was finished with life. I still have some part to play. I was not meant to die."  
  
Harry's outlook brightened, but he was sceptical. "Does that mean my parents can come back?" He asked.  
  
Sirius shook his head, frowning. "No. Your parents did their part. They were meant to have you, they did what they had to do. I don't know what I still have to do, but there's something."  
  
Harry nodded slowly. He should've known, there was no hope. There was never any hope.  
  
"So, Harry. I want to know about you! What has happened in the last while?"  
  
Harry took a deep breath and explained his sixth year to Sirius. He seemed very impressed.  
  
"Wow. A teacher, a leader, and Head Boy. Now all you need is Quiddich Captain." He laughed.  
  
Harry smiled. He was so happy. There had been something empty in him when Sirius had died, some void he couldn't fill. Now, his heart was full, exactly the way it was supposed to be.  
  
"Sirius, now that you're back, what is going to happen? I mean, the Ministry thinks you are dead. That means you aren't being chased. You can live a normal life, right?"  
  
Sirius shook his head. "They only know that by your word, and the word of your friends. If they see me, they'll just be back on me."  
  
Harry nodded, sighing. "I might be able to do something about that. I told Cho about you, and she is Ministry Assistant. She has a lot of leeway."  
  
Sirius smiled. "Thanks. So tell me. What's it like, having Moony as a teacher again?"  
  
Harry grinned. "Great. It's fun, I know almost every single spell we learn, I don't have much work to do. Are you going to go back to Grimmauld Place? There are only a few people living there. Since Lupin is here, it's just Moody, Tonks, Cho, and anyone who comes to visit them."  
  
Sirius smiled. "I should go. It's almost your curfew, I don't want you to get in trouble. I can't go to Grimmauld Place yet, no one there knows I'm here. Dumbledore said I can stay here, in his office, until I talk to Moody. I can't let too many people know. Please, don't tell anyone, not even Ron. It's confusing, he wouldn't understand. I only want you, and Dumbledore to know for now, alright?"  
  
Harry nodded. "Good night, Sirius. Can I come by tomorrow, or something?"  
  
Sirius nodded. "Goodnight, Harry."  
  
Harry hugged him again. "By the way, do you know anyone by the name of Gregory Black? He seemed so familiar, and Cho's seen him around a few times."  
  
Sirius laughed. "That was me."  
  
Harry looked up.  
  
"Remember I said I couldn't catch you on your own? Well, I was using an advanced form of Polyjuice Potion, it's actually a spell, and it allows you to choose the features. Anyway, I was following you, trying to find a good time to tell you. When I couldn't get a hold of you, I followed Cho, knowing that she would meet you for a Hogsmeade weekend. I'm sorry I couldn't talk to you sooner."  
  
Harry nodded and walked back to Gryffindor tower.  
  
"Hello Harry. Talking to Sirius, I presume?" Lupin smiled.  
  
Harry jolted. "How did you know, Professor?" He asked.  
  
"Dumbledore told me. Good night, Harry." He walked away, and Harry kept walking to the Gryffindor tower.  
  
"Hey, Ron, Hermione." He said when he got there. "What's up?"  
  
"Nothing much. More homework than I can possibly do, but nothing else. What about you? Where were you?"  
  
Harry smiled. "I was talking to Dumbledore. Nothing much." He sat down beside them. "God, I'm exhausted."  
  
He wanted to tell them so badly, but he couldn't. He had to get out of there, he had to stop himself from telling them. "I'm going to bed, I'll see you two tomorrow." He walked upstairs and went to sleep.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Hurrah! Done another. . . no cliff hanger!  
  
Thanks for all the wonderful reviews! My goal is to get to 50 in this story, I'm at 24 now. I am, again, not sure how to write this story. I had another idea for this chapter, so I'm going to be doing another story with the same first 7 chapters. It's going to involve Gregory Black, not as Sirius, but as someone else, whom I will not explain at this moment. I probably won't write it until I'm finished this story, though.  
  
-unolimbo 


	9. Captain Phoenix

Just so you know, Angelina graduated a year later than Fred and George, in my little world. In the book, I think they were in the same year, but I never wrote about Quiddich in my last story, so I'm saying that this is the first year without Angelina, and they need to choose a new Quiddich Captain. Number 2: In the fifth book, they got a few new people on the Quiddich team. The team was Harry, Fred, George, Angelina, Katie, and Alicia. They got Ron, then they lost Fred and George and Harry and gained Ginny and two other people. Who the hell were they? Now that Fred, George, Angelina, Katie, and Alicia have graduated, they need new people. but they already have one, and I can't remember his/her name! Can someone please tell me, because I don't own the fifth book, and I can't look. Thanks!  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
The next morning, Harry woke up feeling happier than he had in a long time. He walked down to the common room, trying to stop himself from putting all his thoughts into a letter for Cho.  
  
He sat down, wanting to write to her anyway. Crookshanks curled up on his lap, purring.  
  
Dear Cho:  
  
How is everything going there? I'm doing pretty well. They said that Quiddich practices will be allowed to start soon, I can't wait. School's going pretty well, I guess. This seems so stupid. I can't think of anything new to say, I just saw you yesterday!  
  
I hope I think of something interesting to say for next time,  
  
Love, Harry  
  
He looked over the letter, making sure he hadn't accidentally mentioned Sirius. He hadn't, so he sent Hedwig off with it.  
  
"Harry!" He heard someone call his name. He turned around, and saw Ginny running up to him. "Harry! Quiddich is starting soon, we need to hold tryouts for a new team!"  
  
Harry looked at her, confused. "What do you mean, new team?"  
  
Ginny rolled her eyes. "Angelina, Alicia, and Katie graduated last year. We need to get three more players. And we need a new captain." She narrowed her eyes suspiciously.  
  
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Harry asked, walking down to the Great Hall for breakfast.  
  
"I think you should do it."  
  
Harry sped up. "No."  
  
Ginny was now jogging to keep up with him. "Why not? You'd be good!"  
  
"Because. . . well, I'm already Head Boy, which is a lot of work, and I have my N.E.W.T. classes. I can't do that much!"  
  
"Harry, you took N.E.W.T. courses, were a teacher, and led an army! You can be a perfectly good Quiddich Captain as well."  
  
Harry stopped and spun around, causing Ginny to almost crash into him. "Look, I don't think I'd be able to help that much, I shouldn't be the one to do it. I'm not Captain material."  
  
Ginny put her hands on his shoulders. "Harry, you have been on this team longer than anyone else, and you are an amazing leader. Besides, who else would do it? Me? It's my third year, your seventh. It's Ron's fourth year, and he's really not Captain material, especially if you think you're bad captain material. (A/N the other guy who's name I can't remember, insert here) is not a leader at all. YOU are the only person who wouldn't suck miserably at this. Get it?"  
  
Harry sighed. "Fine. We'll take a vote when we hold tryouts, and then we'll find out, alright?"  
  
Ginny grinned. "Thanks, Harry. By the way, if you don't do it, you will be on the receiving end of my famous bat-bogey hex, understand?" She patted him on the shoulder, and walked away.  
  
Harry shook his head, chuckling, and sat down at the Gryffindor table. "Hey, Hermione, what's up?" He said, noticing that she looked pretty grumpy.  
  
"Hello, Harry. I am so mad!"  
  
Harry didn't say anything.  
  
"Ron was so inconsiderate! He just. . . I just. . . Argh! He makes me so mad!" She continued to making small upset noises from behind her book.  
  
Harry glanced at the door, and saw Ron walk in, looking not in the least grumpy. Harry waved to him, and moved farther away from Hermione, who didn't seem to notice.  
  
"What did you do?" He asked.  
  
Ron looked at him. "What are you talking about?"  
  
Harry rolled his eyes and pointed at Hermione. "What did you do?"  
  
Ron shrugged. "I was talking to her, yesterday, at Hogsmeade, and we were getting along fine. But then we got back to school, and we were back to talking like we normally do, and now she's mad at me. Girls. Go figure."  
  
Harry laughed, almost choking on his toast. "I never thought I wouldn't be the worst at talking to girls."  
  
Ron blushed. "Shut up, Harry."  
  
He laughed again. "Sorry mate, it was too perfect." They got up and walked down to the lake to do their homework.  
  
"So, we're expected to practice our animagus? I don't think I'm going fast enough."  
  
Harry smiled. "Show me what you've got."  
  
Ron took a deep breath and tried it.  
  
Harry clapped as he saw Ron partially turn into a red fox. He sprouted fur and small ears, and he turned and showed a stump of a tail, but he was not completely a fox.  
  
"That's really good, Ron. You've got some of the hard stuff to come still. Changing size is probably the hardest part, which could take a really long time. So, keep working on it, I'm sure you'll get it."  
  
Ron nodded and changed back. "So, Harry, are you going to try?"  
  
Harry shrugged. "I know how."  
  
Ron grinned. "I know, but it's so cool! I mean, c'mon. You're a phoenix, right? Just go and peck some of the Slytherins. Even if you don't peck them, you can show off."  
  
Harry laughed at the thought, but didn't really want to draw all the attention to himself. "I don't know. . ." But Ron punched him, hard, in the arm. "Fine. Just this once."  
  
Ron sat there like an excited child, waiting for Harry to change. He had to admit, it was pretty cool to fly without a broom. He stood up and still, thinking hard about being the phoenix. After a moment, he opened his eyes, and he was the phoenix. He grinned, though Ron couldn't tell, realizing how easy it was becoming.  
  
He flew into the air, deciding NOT to sing. He circled the courtyard a few times, dive bombed Slytherins sitting by the water, and landed back beside Ron, to great applause from the Gryffindors by the water.  
  
Harry grinned as Ron clapped him on the back. "Way to go, mate. That was brilliant!" Ron said.  
  
"Well, well, Potter. Showing off, are we?" Malfoy walked up behind them, flanked by Crabbe and Goyle.  
  
"At least he has something to show off." Hermione, said, sitting down beside them.  
  
"Oh yes," Malfoy sneered, turning red. "your wonderful skill of turning into a pretty little songbird, flying around, serenading the girls. . ."  
  
Harry smiled, receiving strange glances from Hermione and Ron for it. "So, Malfoy, how is your animagus coming? I'm assuming your animagus is a ferret, as Hermione suggested?"  
  
Malfoy turned redder, his face contorting in anger. "My animagus is a serpent. A snake. Much better than your stupid bird." He walked away, storming off so quickly that Crabbe and Goyle could barely keep up.  
  
"I find it very interesting that he still thinks that a snake is better. Professor McGonagall said that amphibians and reptiles were easy, and mythical creatures were exceedingly difficult." Hermione said.  
  
Harry grinned. "Are you going to show us yours?"  
  
Hermione didn't answer, but put away her book and stood up. She took a deep breath, and changed partly into a bobcat. Her body was covered in fur, she had cat ears, whiskers, and a long tail, and her back was beginning to arch downwards like a cats. She was still her normal size.  
  
Harry and Ron both clapped as she turned back. "Bravo!" Ron said loudly.  
  
Hermione smiled weakly. "I hate it. I'm at the part where it looks horrible, as my body is all contorted."  
  
Harry grinned. "Don't worry. You're almost at testing level. And the test is really easy, don't worry. You just do what you did for us, and you write down your specific markings."  
  
Hermione smiled. "Thanks, Harry."  
  
They worked for the rest of the morning, having quite a bit of trouble, as they spent so much time laughing and talking. Every few minutes Malfoy would stroll out with Crabbe and Goyle, stand farther along the lakeshore, and loudly mock Harry. They ignored him.  
  
"So, Harry, who do you think is going to be the Quiddich Captain this year?" Hermione asked.  
  
"Ginny said she wants me to do it." Harry said. "I told her I didn't want to do that much, but she threw it back in my face by saying that I did better last year, when I taught and led an army. Of course, the threatening also worked." He laughed.  
  
Ron stayed quiet, and Harry and Hermione decided to stay off the subject.  
  
That night, when they went back to the common room, most of their homework done, there was a note on the notice board.  
  
TRYOUTS FOR GRYFFINDOR QUIDDICH TEAM: TOMORROW AT FOUR O'CLOCK, ON THE  
QUIDDICH PITCH.  
Any student may try out. Broom not required.  
Ginny Weasley, First Beater  
  
"Well, maybe Ginny should be Captain. She seems to be taking more initiative than me." Harry said.  
  
"That's because you just don't have the title yet." Cam Ginny's voice from behind him. "Just you wait. You'll be Captain, mark my words."  
  
She walked away.  
  
"Is she trying to torment me?" Harry asked.  
  
Ron looked at him. "Yes. My answer is yes."  
  
And they walked upstairs laughing.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Huzzah!  
  
Please tell me, who is the other guy on the Quiddich team? Answer in a review! Speaking of reviews. . .  
  
Chochang323: I'm glad you like it.  
  
Indigal: I have no idea what idea exploring you are talking about. Please clarify, unless you're too lazy. I don't care that much. I don't mean it in a rude way, but in a 'it's not really that important, if you don't want to tell me, don't' way.  
  
Thanks to everyone else who reviewed, -unolimbo 


	10. Quiddich tryouts

Indigal: I don't understand. At all. And I was going to make Black evil, but I changed my mind.  
  
Wuzup13579: it's not as much he has unfinished business as it wasn't his time to die. It's not like he has to do his thing and he can rest in peace or anything, he's back for good, unless someone kills him again.  
  
Potter4prez: it's a good idea, but I've already thought of what's going to happen in the long run of this story.  
  
Chochang323: That is a good idea. Maybe I'll do that.  
  
Okay, this is important. I cannot find who they got as the new Quiddich team members, so I'm saying that the only people who are still on the team from the year before are Harry, Ginny, and Ron. In my last chapter, I said that they needed three new team members. I'm changing that to four, because I can't remember the name of the other guy on the team. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
The next day went by slowly for Harry, waiting for four o'clock. He struggled through Potions, History of Magic, and Transfiguration. Finally, it was time to go to the Quiddich pitch.  
  
Harry arrived at the pitch at 3:30, as he'd promised Ginny he'd come early to help her get things ready.  
  
"Harry!" Ginny called. "So glad you came. Come on, we need to start. Ron should be here in a few minutes, and then we can start really getting a move on."  
  
"Err, Ginny, what exactly is there to do?" Harry asked.  
  
Ginny sighed. "I'm not exactly sure. I mean, we should talk to each other about what we want in a team, and then get a sign up sheet ready, or something."  
  
"I know what we want in a team." Ron walked up behind them. "Skill."  
  
Ginny rolled her eyes. "You're one to talk, Ron. How many goals did you let in last year?"  
  
Ron went very red, and didn't say anything more on the subject.  
  
"So, we want people who know how to handle a broom, can throw and catch well, and know the basic rules and ideas of Quiddich?" Ginny asked.  
  
Harry nodded. "If they don't really know the basic rules, that can be taught, and someone who really knows the rules but plays horribly isn't for us, so let's take that one out." Ron nodded in agreement.  
  
Fifteen minutes later, people started coming on to the pitch. Ginny insisted that Harry get everyone started while she and Ron got the brooms and balls.  
  
"Well, I- umm. . . Welcome to the tryouts for the Gryffindor Quiddich tryouts." Everyone looked over at him. "We will be testing you on your abilities in throwing, catching, handling on the broom, and speed. Speed is affected by your broom, yes, but it still has a lot to do with your skill. I see none of you have brought your own brooms, so that aspect should be judged fairly. In case any of you don't know, I'm Harry, I'm the seeker, this is Ron, he's the keeper, and this is Ginny, who's a beater. So, please don't bother trying out for those positions. We need three chasers and a beater. So, everyone sign up, and we'll start."  
  
There was a rush of people to the sign up sheet, and Harry looked over at Ron and Ginny. Ginny grinned at him, and Ron gave him a thumbs up.  
  
"Alright, if you are trying out as a beater, go with Ginny, and if you are trying out as a chaser, come with Ron and me. We will watch you for a while, and then we'll switch, and see how you do in the other position."  
  
Harry watched as about ten students, all trying out as chasers, flew into the air.  
  
"What do you think?" Harry asked Ron after a few minutes.  
  
Ron shook his head. "I'm not sure. The kid with the quaffle right now, what's his name?"  
  
Harry looked up at him. "I think that's Jeremy Snigg, I taught him last year. He's a third year."  
  
Ron nodded. "He's not bad. He's got a good arm on him, and he's got a lot of speed."  
  
"Can he catch?" Harry asked.  
  
Ron shrugged. "He's missed a few, but he's good. I think he' just not paying enough attention."  
  
Harry sighed. "I can't see anything. We need to get up there. Accio Firebolt!" He put out his hand. A moment later, his broom landed in it.  
  
"Show off." Ron muttered, skulking off to the broom shed to get his own broom.  
  
Harry kicked off the ground and rose to the level of the players. Saqua, another of Harry's students, was flying quickly towards him. He flew upwards, just avoiding her.  
  
"You're not supposed to attack the referee, Saqua! And you're supposed to be going towards the goal!" He yelled. As he did, Saqua turned on a dime and hurtled towards him, just underneath him. She dodged Harry, and easily put the quaffle in the middle hoop, which Ron was guarding.  
  
"Harry," Saqua said, flying back to him. "I'm supposed to be going towards the quaffle, even if it's behind you. And sorry about the whole 'running into you' thing." She grinned. "I don't think you need new chasers, you need a new keeper!"  
  
Ron frowned behind them. Harry did too. "That's not the attitude that's going to get you the position on the team."  
  
Saqua looked down. "I'm sorry, I'll be better, I promise."  
  
Harry looked out at the other players. A few of them were horrible. Jane Bee, one of Harry's old students, was having trouble catching the quaffle. There were a few fourth and fifth years out, a few who could barely get off the ground. There were also a few who were quite good.  
  
Harry flew over to Ron. "See anything you like?" He asked.  
  
"It's hard to look, when Saqua keeps scoring on me!"  
  
Harry laughed. He looked at his watch. They'd been at it for twenty minutes. He blew his whistle that Ginny had given him, and everyone flew over to him.  
  
"Alright, if you were with me and Ron, I want you to go with Ginny, and vice versa."  
  
A few people flew by Harry, and he blew his whistle again, throwing the quaffle as hard as he could into the air. After five minutes, he hadn't seen anything that amazed him. He flew back to Ron and told him he was going to check with Ginny. Ron nodded, and he flew to the other end of the pitch.  
  
"Hey, Ginny. How's it going?" He asked.  
  
She grinned. "Great. There were a few good ones in the last group, but I haven't seen much in this one. One girl, I think her name's Saqua, isn't bad. Jane Bee, I think it is, has got a lot of power , but not great aim. Katie Sharp, the one directly across from you, she just hit the Bludger, she's really good. A great arm on that one, and she's got aim too. She's fast, but I don't think she's fast enough to be a chaser."  
  
Harry nodded. "I'm looking at Saqua as a chaser, she was amazing. Jeremy Snigg, too. Saqua seems to be multi-talented, and Snigg can throw quite well, and he's got a good arm. I didn't get a chance to see him catch, but Ron said he's not bad."  
  
Ginny grinned. "By the looks of it, the Gryffindor Quiddich team is going to be just as good as it was before."  
  
Ten minutes later, they all came back to the ground. Harry, Ginny, and Ron went to the side to talk about it.  
  
"Saqua for sure, and Snigg, and there was a kid, I think her name is Leah MacLean, who wasn't bad." Ron said.  
  
Harry nodded. "I also noticed Liam Farley and James Dent were good. I think we should narrow it down to those five for the chasers."  
  
Ron and Ginny nodded. "For the beater position, Katie Sharp was very good. I didn't really see any competition for her, except maybe Jane Bee and Timothy Grant. We could narrow it to those three."  
  
Harry nodded. "Sounds good."  
  
They went back to the anxious crowd of kids. "Alright, we have narrowed it down. If we call your name, you can stay. If we don't I'm sorry, but Ron and I are graduating next year, just practice, and maybe you'll do better."  
  
He looked around. All eyes were on him. He felt quite guilty about telling over ten kids that they weren't allowed to play. He pushed the feeling aside.  
  
"Saqua Silver, Jeremy Snigg, Leah MacLean, Liam Farley, James Dent, Katie Sharp, Jane Bee, and Timothy Grant. The eight of you, you will continue in a game situation, and we'll narrow it down to just four of you."  
  
The crowd dispersed, and Harry, Ginny, and Ron organized them into two teams, with no Seekers, only two chasers, and Harry as referee.  
  
"Ginny and I will be keepers, Saqua, chaser for Gin. Jeremy, Chaser for me. Leah, chaser for Gin, and Liam for me. Beaters, James and Kate for Ginny, and Jane and Timothy for me. If you're not in the position you tried out for, don't worry, we will be moving it around a bit. Oh yeah, and Harry's going to be referee."  
  
Harry gave a weak wave and kicked off the ground. He blew his whistle, and the game began. Saqua was amazing, she really knew her game. "You're not supposed to keep the ball for yourself, Saqua! Share it!"  
  
She rolled her eyes and threw the Quaffle to Leah, who fumbled with it, but caught it. She sped across to Ron, and threw it. Ron caught it, but it was close.  
  
"Good shot, Leah!"  
  
Ron tossed the ball to Jeremy, who in turn, threw it to Liam . His throw was off slightly, and Liam had to reach for it. Harry clapped at the catch. He watched the beaters. James was not doing too well, he seemed too frightened of the Bludger. Every time it came to him, he would try and dodge it while he swung his bat, making him miss.  
  
"Saqua, switch places with Dent! I want to see him as a chaser!" She nodded, and Dent looked thoroughly relieved. He did much better as a chaser, except that he threw the ball to the wrong team. Harry let that go, as he had been on the other team a minute ago. Harry went back to the beaters, and watched Jane and Timothy. Ginny was right, Jane did have power, if not aim. She hit one Bludger that, if Katie hadn't hit it back, it probably would've knocked her out. Of course, Katie's Bludger was aimed hard and true, and it hit the corner of Timothy's broom, spending him spinning off course. He righted himself again, and swung his bat just in time to send the Bludger that had been speeding to him hurtling towards Ginny.  
  
Harry blew his whistle. He'd seen enough.  
  
He called Ginny and Ron over. "Saqua is a definite yes for chaser. Do you guys agree?"  
  
They both nodded. "Katie is really good as a beater." Ginny said.  
  
Ron nodded. "What about Timothy and Jane? Jane was definitely not as good as Katie, so I guess she's out. Timothy wasn't bad, but I think Katie was better."  
  
Harry shrugged. "I guess that works. Katie it is. What about the other two chasers?"  
  
Harry looked up at the group of kids. They all looked anxious and scared.  
  
"So, our choices are Dent, Snigg, and Leah." Ron said. "I think Snigg was a good choice. Dent did score on the wrong team."  
  
"But he had been playing for them a moment earlier."  
  
"I think Snigg and Dent are the best. Leah fumbled."  
  
"But her shot was clean."  
  
"A clean shots not worth anything if you don't catch the ball."  
  
"Look," Harry finally said, stopping Ginny and Ron from arguing. "Leah fumbled, and Dent didn't. I think it highly unlikely that he will score on the other team when we're in a match. We will be in uniform, and he will know who's on his team. I think he's the best choice."  
  
Ron glared at Ginny, but they both nodded.  
  
"So, we've got Saqua Silver, James Dent, Jeremy Snigg, and Katie Sharp. Right?" Harry asked.  
  
They both nodded.  
  
They stood up. Ginny told everyone who had made the team, and the four kids who didn't get on the team left quickly. Jane was almost in tears. Harry felt bad again, but went back to the team. Ginny was talking to everyone.  
  
"It's getting dark, so we should probably go in and get some food. But first, we need to vote on a new captain. The choices are Harry, Ron, or me. It's going to be a heads down vote. Saqua, count the number for each person, and don't forget to vote yourself. Harry, you still have to vote." She prodded him. They all put their heads down, and Saqua called out the three names.  
  
"Congratulations, Harry." She said.  
  
He grunted. "I'll get you for this, Weasley." He said.  
  
Ron lifted his head. "What did I do?" Ginny punched him.  
  
"Me, stupid."  
  
They all went in to dinner, except for Harry, who put away the balls and brooms. He decided to skip dinner, as by the time he was finished, it was almost time to go upstairs again, and he wanted to write to Cho.  
  
He walked up to the castle, thinking. Thinking not only about Quiddich and Cho, but also Sirius. In fact, mostly Sirius. He was thinking so intently that he didn't hear someone come up behind him in the courtyard and cast a spell on him. A spell that was powerful enough to knock him out for two weeks.  
  
It did.  
  
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I am entirely not telling what just happened, because I'm not quite sure. You will find out in due time, I promise. Thanks to everyone who reviewed my story, I hope you enjoyed this rather boring chapter! Really, I thought it was boring. Well, maybe not boring, but it certainly did drag on a bit.  
  
-unolimbo 


	11. Sweet turns to bittersweet

I have been told by wuzup13579 that Ginny is a chaser, not a beater. Well, that just makes me feel stupid, and since I have written an entire chapter on it, can we please just pretend that she is a beater? Pretty please?  
  
Indigal: I'm not sure what you didn't understand. The fact that I said I had writers block and proceeded to write three more chapters? That was the best reason I could think of.  
  
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"Please, Ms. Chang. I cannot allow you to sit here and take up such space! This is an infirmary, not a zoo!"  
  
"I'm not staring, I'm keeping him company!"  
  
"Company doesn't work when he's unconscious! He can't hear you."  
  
Harry didn't open his eyes. Who was having this conversation? Then it hit him. Ms. Chang. Cho. They were talking about him.  
  
"I can so hear her." He opened his eyes.  
  
"Harry!" Cho spun around. "You're awake!"  
  
Madam Pomfrey walked away, muttering.  
  
Cho hugged him. "Oh Harry, I was so worried."  
  
He sat up. Everything was blurry, and trying to focus was giving him a headache. He reached to the table beside him, looking for his glasses. He found them, and put them on. Cho came into focus, and he smiled.  
  
"What are you doing here? What am I doing here? I was in the courtyard."  
  
Cho frowned. "Harry, that was almost two weeks ago. You didn't go back to your common room, so Ron and Hermione went looking for you. They found you face down in the courtyard."  
  
Harry frowned as well. "I don't understand."  
  
Cho shook her head. "Neither do I. Dumbledore asked if anyone had seen anything, but everyone had been at dinner. Peeves said he saw someone walking towards the courtyard during dinner, but he didn't stop to see who it was, as he was too busy setting booby traps for students. He said it looked like a student. They were wearing black robes."  
  
She started to cry. Harry hugged her. "It's okay, Cho. I'm fine, don't worry."  
  
Cho smiled and wiped her eyes.  
  
Madam Pomfrey came back over. "Now that you've talked, I need to give Harry some medicine, or he'll never get out of bed!"  
  
Cho moved back and sat on the next bed, smiling.  
  
Madam Pomfrey shoved a spoonful of medicine down Harry's throat. It felt like ice, and tasted like carrots. She then gave him a glass of water. "Drink the whole thing. Right now."  
  
He nodded and chugged the glass. The freezing sensation spread to the tips of his fingers, and he shivered. After a moment, it shrunk back, and he felt perfectly normal.  
  
"There you are, Mr. Potter. You are free to go at any time." She bustled off towards other students.  
  
Harry stood up. "What day is it?" He asked Cho.  
  
"October 8th." She said.  
  
Harry almost jumped. "What? We have a Quiddich game tomorrow! We have to practice! It's against Slytherin!"  
  
Cho put her hands on his shoulders. "They're practicing right now. That's why Ron and Hermione aren't here. Ron is out practicing, and Hermione is watching. Madam Pomfrey insisted that they get some fresh air."  
  
Harry sighed. "Am I allowed to go out and practice with them, or do I still have to rest?" He asked Madam Pomfrey.  
  
She looked up. "I don't care, but you should probably spend some time with Ms. Chang. She has been waiting for you for a rather long time." She chuckled.  
  
Harry grinned. "Fine, if I have to."  
  
Cho laughed. "Let's go out and watch them play Quiddich. Maybe, if you're good, I'll let you play."  
  
They walked out to the pitch and sat down in the stands beside Hermione. "Hey Herm." Harry said.  
  
She spun around to them. "Harry, you're awake!" She gave him a hug. "We were so worried!"  
  
Harry smiled. He turned to Cho. "Please?"  
  
She rolled her eyes. "Fine. Go!"  
  
He kissed her. "Thanks. I'll come back, don't worry." She smiled. "Accio Firebolt!" He said, and kicked off of the stands.  
  
Just as he flew, he heard Hermione say, "Show off."  
  
He couldn't help but smile.  
  
"Harry!" The team had noticed he was back. "Great to see you!"  
  
Harry grinned. "I'm sorry about that. How's the training going?"  
  
Ginny flew up to him. "Well, not so great. We don't actually have a plan. This is why we wanted you as captain. Between me and Ron, we don't really know what to do. We've been improvising, and it's worked in practices."  
  
Harry nodded. "I think I've got a plan."  
  
Ginny raised her eyebrows. "What is it?"  
  
Harry grinned. "I'm going to catch the snitch."  
  
After practice, Harry dropped off his broom in the broom shed and went to look for Cho. He could see her, just standing up from her seat in the stands. He sighed.  
  
"Cho!" He called. "Are you going to make me walk up all those stairs to get you?"  
  
She looked down at him and waved. "Yes!" She called back.  
  
Harry grinned. "Not likely!" He turned into a phoenix and flew up to her.  
  
After changing back, he smirked. "I didn't have to walk!"  
  
Cho frowned. "Show off."  
  
Harry shook his head. "Everyone seems to think that."  
  
They walked down the stairs and towards the Great Hall. "So Cho, how long are you going to stay with us?" Harry asked.  
  
Cho looked down. "I'm going home through Floo after your game tomorrow, probably. I have to work on Monday."  
  
Harry looked at her. "Isn't today Friday?"  
  
Cho nodded. "So why can't you go home on Sunday, instead of tomorrow night? If we win, I'm sure Gryffindor will let you celebrate with us!"  
  
Cho smiled. "Maybe, Harry, maybe."  
  
Just then, Harry realized something.  
  
Sirius. He hadn't gone to see him since that first day! He'd said he would go the next day, but he forgot, and he was going to go the night after Quiddich. . . but it was two weeks later. Would Sirius still be there?  
  
He and Cho walked slowly to the Great Hall in silence. When they got there, Cho squeezed his hand. "It was so amazing being back at school, especially being on the Quiddich pitch. But I haven't been to the Great Hall yet. It feels so strange."  
  
Harry smiled. "That's because you're getting old."  
  
He jumped forward before she could hit him.  
  
"Harry," Cho said quietly, "who did that to you?"  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
Cho looked at him. "Harry, you've been unconscious for two weeks! Your friends found you, they thought you were dead! Mrs. Weasley came to see you, and I came, and no one knew what had happened to you, or who had made it happen! Doesn't any of this mean anything to you?" She was almost in tears.  
  
Harry hugged her. "Cho, I've had more life threatening experiences than anyone else I have ever met or heard of. Being unconscious for two weeks isn't even the worst."  
  
Cho frowned. "I can't handle this, Harry. I can't live like this. This isn't the first time I've gone for weeks, thinking you were dead."  
  
"But I came back to you both times." Harry said.  
  
Cho shook her head. "How do I know you will next time? And even if you do, I'm still going to have agonizing weeks where I think you may be lost to me forever. I can't spend my life fearing for yours. I'm sorry. Maybe I'll talk to you some time. But for your sake, and mine, I hope not."  
  
She kissed him on the cheek, and Harry felt a tear stick to his face.  
  
"Cho, please. . ." But she had turned around and walked up the first flight of stairs. Harry stood there a moment, taking in everything that had just happened. He knew that Cho was going to Dumbledore's office so she could Floo home. Harry ran up the stairs to follow her. He just turned the corner in time to hear her say the password to Dumbledore's office, "Pepper Imps."  
  
The door closed just before Harry could get in, so he said the password again, and ran up the stairs.  
  
"Cho, wait!" He said, reaching the top of the stairs. He opened the door just in time to see her throw the Floo powder into the fireplace.  
  
"Goodbye, Harry." She said.  
  
"Cho!" Harry yelled as she stepped into the fireplace and disappeared with a flash.  
  
Suddenly, he heard a voice from behind him. "Harry?" Sirius poked his head out of the door to Dumbledore's rooms. "Well, it's wonderful to finally see you again. Who was in here?"  
  
Harry sat down on the floor. He didn't say anything. Fawkes came down to him and rested his head on Harry's knee.  
  
"Harry?" Sirius asked. "Are you feeling alright?"  
  
But Harry didn't hear him. He was staring at the fire. The cold, black ashes, that just a moment ago had been lit with the brilliant flame of Harry's last image of Cho. He knew that she wouldn't be at Grimmauld Place when he got home.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Harry sat on the floor, staring at the fireplace for what seemed like hours. Sirius disappeared into Dumbledore's room and emerged a moment later with food.  
  
Harry ate it slowly, not looking at it.  
  
"I thought you were going to go home." He said.  
  
Sirius shook his head, though Harry could not see it. "I couldn't do it. I couldn't bring myself to do it. you promised to keep my secret, and Moony promised to keep my secret, and Dumbledore promised to keep my secret, and I couldn't leave. Moony said that there were orphans living at my house. I couldn't go back there, to all those people who didn't know me, people who think I'm a murderer, people who think I'm dead. I couldn't."  
  
Harry nodded. "I know exactly what you mean."  
  
Neither of them spoke for a very long time.  
  
"Harry," Sirius said finally, "Maybe you should go back to your dormitory, it's late, and you need sleep."  
  
"I've been sleeping for the past two weeks. I'm fine." Harry said quietly. He, a seventeen year old boy, was scaring Sirius, a man who had faced fear itself, and lived with it for twelve years. He hadn't torn his eyes from the fireplace, and he had barely blinked.  
  
"Harry," Sirius said, walking over to him, and dragging him to his feet. "You are going to go to bed. If you don't want to go back to your dormitory, maybe Dumbledore will let you stay here, but I don't know."  
  
"He may stay here." Harry looked up at Dumbledore, but quickly went back to looking at the fireplace. "But Sirius is correct, you should sleep. You can send Cho an owl in the morning." He disappeared into his rooms.  
  
Sirius sat down beside Harry. "Are you okay?" Harry closed his eyes.  
  
He sighed. With out opening his eyes, Harry stood up. He opened his eyes, and was facing the door. "I'm going to go back to my dorm. I have to get up early for Quiddich."  
  
Sirius nodded. "Good night, Harry."  
  
Harry walked back to Gryffindor tower alone. He couldn't stop thinking about everything that had happened. He never thought something like that would happen. He never thought he would act that way about it. he thought he would be with Cho forever, that they'd been through so much together, that they would be happy. And he never thought that he would break up with a girl like that. He never thought he would spend such a long time just thinking about it.  
  
He shook the thoughts out of his head. He noticed that he was in front of the Fat Lady.  
  
"Come on, then. What's the password?"  
  
Harry sighed. "Hydra."  
  
The Fat Lady sighed. "Go on in."  
  
Harry stepped into the common room.  
  
"Harry, where were you?" Ron asked. "You didn't turn up at dinner."  
  
Harry nodded. "You're right, I didn't. Good night." He didn't even look at them, he just walked up the stairs to his dorm. Hermione poked Ron and raised her eyebrows. He nodded, and followed Harry up the stairs.  
  
Harry collapsed face down on his bed.  
  
"Harry? What's wrong, mate?" Ron asked.  
  
Harry sighed into his pillow. "I'm still not sure. I think Cho broke up with me."  
  
Ron nodded slowly. "Right. Well, I'm sure it will work out. . ."  
  
Harry looked up. "Don't bother, Ron. You really suck at this, so just give it up. I'll be fine."  
  
Ron nodded. "Good night, mate." He left.  
  
When Harry knew he was alone, he let it go. He felt tears fall down his face, silently. He hadn't felt this way before. He'd felt unloved before, for most of his childhood, in fact. But he'd never had someone just stop. No one had ever been his friend one day, and wanted nothing to do with him the next. Not when he still loved them.  
  
"Harry." He heard his name, and someone was shaking him. "Come on, Harry. You haven't eaten anything in a really long time. You need to get something in your stomach before the match."  
  
Harry's eyes shot open. He sat up. "I'm awake, I'm awake."  
  
Ron laughed. "I knew Quiddich would get you."  
  
Harry nodded. "I'll come down to the Great Hall. I've got to do something first."  
  
Ron made a very confused face, but left.  
  
A few minutes later, Harry walked to Dumbledore's office. He went up the stairs and knocked on the door. "Come in." Came Dumbledore's voice.  
  
Harry opened the door. "Good morning, Professor. Can I speak to Sirius?"  
  
Dumbledore nodded. Harry walked into his room. "Sirius?" He said.  
  
"Morning Harry." Came Sirius' voice. "Don't you have a Quiddich match today?"  
  
Harry smiled. "I wanted to make sure you weren't coming."  
  
Sirius sat up. "Pardon me?"  
  
"I wanted to make sure that you weren't going to come as Snuffles and have Malfoy notice you."  
  
Sirius sighed. "Don't worry, I'm going to watch from the window."  
  
Harry smiled. "Thanks, Sirius. I'll try and come over here after. I don't know how much of a celebration there will be, after a game with new players and no game plan."  
  
"No game plan? How is that going to work?"  
  
Harry smiled weakly. "I'm going to catch the snitch."  
  
"Good luck with that."  
  
Harry walked down to the Great Hall. He found the rest of his team there. "Morning, guys." He looked at everyone. They all looked nervous, and no one was eating.  
  
"Eat. All of you, you need something to eat. You don't want to pass out during the match."  
  
A few people nodded, and they all ate. Harry himself, even though he didn't think he could stomach anything, but he knew that he needed to eat.  
  
Fifteen minutes later, they went down to the pitch. After everyone had changed into their Quiddich robes, Harry started talking. "I haven't seen any of you practice, but I still know you're good. I know that we don't really have a plan, so I just want to stress team work. Keep your eyes and ears open, and score. We can beat Slytherin. We are the better team. Now let's go show Slytherin what we're made of."  
  
They all stood up and grabbed their brooms.  
  
"Let's do this." Ron said, and that walked onto the pitch. Harry looked up at everyone in the stands. He could hear the cheering coming from the stands, and he smiled. The rush of adrenaline, surging through his body at the thought of Quiddich; it just made him happy.  
  
He walked to the centre of the pitch and leaned to Ginny. "Err, Gin, who's their captain?" He asked. After Flint had graduated, Harry didn't know who it was.  
  
"Take a wild guess." Ron said.  
  
The Slytherin team was walking out from the other end of the pitch.  
  
They were being led by Malfoy.  
  
Harry smiled as he shook Malfoy's hand. "I wish you luck, Malfoy. You're certainly going to need it."  
  
Malfoy smirked. "With this bunch? Two weasels and who knows how many mudbloods?"  
  
Harry's smile flickered, but one thought brought it back. "At least it's not full of Death Eaters."  
  
Madam Hooch blew her whistle, and though that would normally have been the start of the match, it wasn't, because Malfoy had leapt at Harry, knocking him to the ground.  
  
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Thank you to the measly number of people that have reviewed!  
  
No, I'm just kidding. Though, I would like to point out that I went away for almost three days, and I came back, and there was not one single review! Three stories I have going, and no one reviewed! My feelings were so darn hurt!  
  
Please make it up to me with reviews,  
  
-unolimbo 


	12. Chapter 12 with no name

Just a note, in the eighth chapter, I said that there was a Hogsmeade weekend. I didn't want it too be too far into the year, as they're only on to their first game. So, instead of it being in late October, like someone told me, (I can't remember when) I'm saying that the trip was in late September, early October.  
  
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Harry didn't know what hit him, but, of course, he realized that it was Malfoy. He was pinned under him and he couldn't do anything. Everyone was so shocked; even Ron hadn't done anything, he was just standing there, with his mouth open.  
  
"Alright, alright, get off!" Madam Hooch pulled him off of Harry. "What is the meaning of this?" She asked sternly.  
  
Harry was still sitting on the ground. He shook his head, confused.  
  
"He made fun of my family." He said.  
  
Harry stood up. "Because he made fun of my friends!"  
  
Madam Hooch shook her head, disappointedly. "That will be enough. Penalty for Gryffindor. One more act like that out of you, Mr. Malfoy, and you will be suspended from the game."  
  
She blew her whistle again, and the game started.  
  
Harry decided to look around from the other end of the pitch from Malfoy. After fifteen minutes, he still hadn't seen anything, and Slytherin was leading by eighty points. "Come on, Harry, find that snitch."  
  
He circled around the pitch, and when he passed Ginny, she looked at him expectantly. He shook his head and kept looking. Just then, he saw a tiny flicker of gold near the Slytherin hoops. He sped towards the posts. Malfoy, seeing Harry flying so quickly, followed him, but Harry was much faster. In their second year, he had had the better broom, but now, Harry, with his Firebolt, was much better off in a race. As Harry sped towards the snitch, it turned away from him: towards Malfoy.  
  
Harry turned slightly, but now, because the snitch had turned, he and Malfoy were neck and neck. Harry stretched out his right arm. His fingers were reaching the snitch, he could feel its wings on his finger tips, but he couldn't wrap his hand around it.  
  
"Just a little further. . ." Malfoy pushed him sideways, and Harry felt himself fly further away. "Nice shot, Malfoy, but I'm not finished yet!"  
  
Harry leaned forward and pushed his broom further. He felt the snitch at his fingertips again. But this time, he could get his hand around it.  
  
As soon as he got the snitch, Harry looked up and realized he was about to fly into one of the stands. He veered straight upwards, his feet hitting the stands, and he pushed off of it.  
  
"Great." He said. Now he was upside down. He righted himself, and flew back down to the ground, holding his right hand, with the snitch in it, in the air.  
  
"And the game goes to Gryffindor, 210 to 140!" Seamus cried, as the new announcer.  
  
The Gryffindor end of the stands exploded, while the Slytherins booed. The entire team came down to join him on the pitch.  
  
"We did it, Harry! We won!" Ginny said, giving him a hug.  
  
"Harry, our first win, in our first game, can you believe it?" Snigg said, patting him on the back.  
  
Saqua punched him. "Why wouldn't he believe it? We're obviously the better team!"  
  
Half an hour later, Harry found himself in the Gryffindor common room, partying with the rest of his house.  
  
"My question is, where did the butterbeer come from?" Hermione asked. Harry raised his eyebrows. "Well, I mean, if Fred and George always brought it, and they're gone now, who brings it? Does anyone else even know how to get to the kitchen?"  
  
Ron suddenly went quite red, and mentioned something about "having to go do homework." And ran away.  
  
Hermione shook his head. "I don't understand why he wants to do his homework now."  
  
Harry just laughed. Just then, he remembered Sirius. He was probably sitting by himself, with no one to talk to. Harry sighed.  
  
"Hey, Herm, I need some air, I'm going to go for a walk, alright?"  
  
Hermione nodded, and Harry left the common room. A few minutes later, he ended up at Dumbledore's door. He said the password, walked up the stairs, and knocked on the door.  
  
There was no answer. He knocked again. No answer. He looked at his watch; it was only 7 o'clock; there was no reason for Dumbledore to be asleep. Harry assumed he must be out, and opened the door a crack.  
  
"Hello? Sirius?"  
  
Harry heard a sound from the next room. The door opened a tiny crack. "Sirius?" He said again.  
  
"Hello Harry." He came out. "I wasn't sure if that was you or not." He grinned. "Congratulations on your win, but shouldn't you be at the party? Assuming you still have them after games? God knows we did."  
  
Harry smiled. "Yeah, there's a party. Ron got some butterbeer from the kitchen, but it got boring. . . I mean, there wasn't much happening. . . it was really loud. . . err, I wanted to come."  
  
Sirius frowned. "So, you wanted to be at this party, but you felt obligated to come and see me?" He asked.  
  
Harry shook his head. "No! I wanted to come. I wanted to come right after the game, but I couldn't."  
  
Sirius sighed. "That's alright. I'm hoping that before long, you won't have to come up here to see me."  
  
Harry raised his eyebrows.  
  
"Seeing as I got to come back because I was still needed, I'm not doing very much here, am I? I need to tell people, don't worry, people we can trust, so that I can be some help. I mean, only three people know I'm alive, let alone innocent."  
  
Harry nodded. "Well, I just wanted to say hello. I should get back. It's almost curfew, and Ron will notice that I'm gone."  
  
"Bye, Harry."  
  
Harry waved to him as he walked out. "I'll try and come by tomorrow, and I hope I'll be able to bring Ron and Hermione soon. I think they'd like to know that you're here."  
  
Sirius smiled. "Bring them along next time. If I'm going to tell people, I might as well start with them."  
  
Harry was just about to close the door, when he heard Sirius' voice again. "Oh, and tell them I'm here first, I don't think they'll react the same way you did."  
  
Harry laughed. "See you tomorrow, Sirius."  
  
He walked back to the common room, grinning. As soon as he got in, he dragged Ron and Hermione into a corner. "As soon as this party quiets down, I need to talk to you two." He said  
  
Hermione raised her eyebrows. "Why?"  
  
"I can't tell you now, there are too many people around. It's about Snuffles."  
  
Ron's eyes grew wide, but Hermione looked skeptical. "Harry, I know you miss him, but Sirius is gone. I think you need to realize that."  
  
Harry grinned. "Fine, Herm, you don't have to stay. But tomorrow, after lunch, you have to come with me to Dumbledore's office, alright?"  
  
Hermione frowned, not understanding, but nodded.  
  
"Thanks."  
  
Hours later, when most of the Gryffindor students had gone to bed, tired and full of butterbeer and pastries, Harry and Ron sat in the large chairs in front of the fire.  
  
"So, what's up?" Ron asked.  
  
Harry leaned forward. "Sirius isn't dead."  
  
Ron leaned back and rolled his eyes. "Hermione was right, Harry."  
  
Harry shook his head. "No, that 's not it. He was dead, but he's back. He said he wasn't finished, and he still has things to do here, so he was brought back. He's in Dumbledore's office!"  
  
Ron sighed. "Harry, mate, I think you need to lie down."  
  
Harry frowned. "I'm telling the truth. Dumbledore and Professor Lupin know as well."  
  
Ron looked sceptical. "I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt, Harry, and believe you. But right now, I need to get some sleep."  
  
Harry nodded, and they went up to their dorm.  
  
"This has been a good day." Harry said.  
  
Ron chuckled. "Except for you being insane."  
  
"I am not-"  
  
"Kidding, mate, kidding."  
  
* * * * *  
  
The next day, Harry dragged Ron and Hermione to Dumbledore's office. He knocked on the door. "Come in."  
  
Harry opened the door. "Hello, Professor. Is Sirius here?"  
  
Dumbledore looked over Harry at Ron and Hermione, raising his eyebrows.  
  
"Don't worry, Professor, Sirius told me to bring them."  
  
He nodded, and let them in. "If you need me, I shall be in the teacher's room." He walked out.  
  
Just as they were sitting down, Sirius came out. "So, did you tell them?"  
  
Hermione screamed, and Ron's eyes grew very large.  
  
Sirius frowned. "So you didn't?"  
  
Harry smiled. "I tried, but they didn't believe me."  
  
Sirius sat down beside him. "Well, it's true." He went on to explain everything he had explained to Harry about why he was back. Ron sat there, listening, while Hermione often looked like she wanted to ask questions, but held back.  
  
Almost an hour later, Hermione seemed satisfied with his story, Ron had gotten over the shock, and they were all talking.  
  
"So what are you going to do?" Ron asked.  
  
Sirius looked serious. "I'm going to go back to Grimmauld Place."  
  
Harry was sitting, listening to them talk, when it hit him. "Wormtail!" He yelled, making the other three jump.  
  
"Remember the battle I told you about? Well, Wormtail wasn't there! They would have said that they found his body in the papers, and they would have said that you were innocent. That means that we can still find him, and we can make people know that you are free!"  
  
Sirius smiled weakly. "Are you sure?"  
  
Harry shrugged. "I'm sure I could find out if he's alive."  
  
Sirius nodded. "We won't worry about that right now. Right now, I want to know what I have to do."  
  
They talked for a while, until Dumbledore came back and told them that he needed his office.  
  
Harry gave Sirius a hug. "Bye, Sirius."  
  
They walked back to the common room so they could get their homework.  
  
"I'm sorry I didn't believe you, Harry." Hermione said quietly.  
  
Harry shrugged. "I don't blame you."  
  
Ron nodded. "Me too."  
  
Hermione raised her eyebrows. "You don't blame me?"  
  
Ron shook his head. "I'm sorry I didn't believe him, Herm."  
  
Harry laughed. "Come on, you guys have to help me catch up on everything I missed. Two weeks out at the beginning of the year. It couldn't be worse, could it?"  
  
Ron shook his head, looking glum. "It couldn't. I've been in class for the whole time, and I still don't understand a lot of it."  
  
Hermione sighed. "Harry, I am happy to help you over the next little while, but I'm not in all of your classes, am I?"  
  
Harry grinned. "I dropped Divination, remember? I've got DADA, Transfiguration, Potions, Astronomy, Care of Magical Creatures, Herbology, Charms, and History of Magic."  
  
"In Transfiguration, we've been doing Animagus, so you know that." Hermione said. "No one's gotten much farther, we've come to the hard point. We're about half way through, Professor McGonagall said we've still got a long way to go. Again, you know everything we've done."  
  
She continued to explain everything else he missed. It was a lot.  
  
Harry sat back. "Who knew two weeks could do so much?"  
  
They spent the rest of the afternoon working by the lake, or at least, trying to work. It was a cool autumn day, and none of them could properly work. Finally, it was time for dinner, and they traipsed back inside.  
  
At dinner, Harry went to find his teachers. "Professor McGonagall, I have a few questions." He said, walking up to the teachers table.  
  
"Of course, Potter." Professor McGonagall looked down at him.  
  
"Err, I was wondering what I should do about all the work I missed. Hermione told me that I was probably doing okay in Transfiguration, but I don't really know what to do about everything else."  
  
Professor McGonagall nodded. "Very well, come to my office after dinner, we will discuss it."  
  
Harry found himself in front of Professor McGonagall's office directly after a very filling dinner. The Professor let him in, and he sat down.  
  
"Biscuit, Potter?" She offered him a tin of cookies, this time shaped like pumpkins, Harry guessed, for the Halloween season. He took one.  
  
"Ms. Granger was correct, you have missed nothing in Transfiguration. You are not so lucky in your other classes. There is a lot of work, as it is your N.E.W.T. year. I can arrange for you to have tutoring in some classes, such as Astronomy, Charms, History of Magic, and of course, Defence Against the Dark Arts, which you are not far behind in. In your other classes, I am afraid, you will have to make it up with the teachers, as you need certain resources. I can talk to Professor Sprout about you getting extra help in Herbology, I can do the same with Professor Snape, and Hagrid. I think that will be sufficient."  
  
Harry thanked her, and went back to his dormitory. When he got there, he realized he could barely keep his eyes open. He quickly went to bed. When he got there, there was a note on his bed.  
  
Dear Harry:  
  
I'm going home. I hope you will visit me at Christmas. I think I might've figured out what I need to do.  
  
I'll owl you soon, Sirius  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Wow, I am soooooo sorry that this chapter took so long. I haven't updated since December 30! That's almost two weeks, and I'm really sorry! I just found that the writing was going really slowly, I couldn't really get into it. Also, school has started again, and I have a huge amount of work, which means that chapters are going to be really slow. Simply put, this term means a lot more than the last one, so I have to pay more attention to my work, and less to fan fiction.  
  
Light_of_the_moon: I think the fact that he can't help getting in trouble doesn't mean that he can't get hurt, and Cho doesn't want to deal with that. Basically, just because he has to get in trouble doesn't mean that Cho should sit back and deal with it. She couldn't so she left.  
  
Dragoon knight: As do I, as do I. This one isn't much of a cliff hanger. He doesn't really know exactly what he's going to do, I mean Sirius. He just knows that he has to help Harry.  
  
Skittles-07: I'm glad you like it.  
  
Panuru4u: You're right on the money. He just doesn't like the fact that Harry is right, and Harry is winning. His family is in jail, and he just isn't dealing with it too well.  
  
Wuzup13579: I think you're going to have to wait and see. It could be a long while. After Harry finishes his last year, I think I'm going to continue a bit into his later life, and this could play some part in that.  
  
Crystel09: oh come on, it's called character development! They always seem to break up and then realize that they were meant for each other, etc. etc. etc. It's always so cheesy. I don't want my story to be like that. It's sort of like they keep getting back together, and breaking up, and it goes back and forth because neither of them are really sure what they want. And I don't even know if I'm going to go into much detail about the curse. I might just leave it at that, but I doubt it. (I smell an expulsion coming on)  
  
Indigal: he wasn't being too much of a show off. I've always found that in the books he's such a wuss, he never shows people that he is amazing. Some of those times when Malfoy is being an a$$, I think that Harry should just stand up and be like 'I killed him. I fought him, I did this and this and this. . . you want to mess with me?' hee hee. I think that would be great, if not horribly out of character.  
  
Thanks to everyone! And to anyone who reads my other stories, I'll try and post them soon, but I go through phases, and right now I'm in a Harry Potter phase, and I don't want to do my Tamora Pierce stories. That's it for now, I hope I can update again this week.  
  
-unolimbo 


	13. More Quiddich and unhappy owls

Here it is folks, chapter 13! The unluckiest number, and now this story has more chapters than any of my others!  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Harry woke up early the next morning after an uneasy sleep. He tossed all night, dreaming unsettling dreams. He dreamed Sirius, Voldemort, Cho, and many other unsettling things.  
  
After deciding that he would not get back to sleep, Harry got up. He went downstairs to the common room. He sat down in front of the fire, staring at its flickering flames. Crookshanks curled up in his lap, purring. Harry sighed. He'd spent most of the night dreaming about Cho. He had to do something, write her a letter, talk to her, something. He decided on the first option. He was glad it wasn't even sunrise, because he knew it would take a long time.  
  
Fifteen minutes, sitting, thinking, and all he had was 'Dear Cho:'  
  
Finally, minutes before anyone would start coming downstairs, he finished it.  
  
Dear Cho:  
  
I understand what you mean, I really do. In my fifth year, I thought I was being possessed by Voldemort, so I tried to run away to protect my friends. I was acting as a snake in my dreams, and I saw myself hurt Mr. Weasley. I wouldn't let myself sleep because I was afraid I would kill someone. Those were some of the worst few days in my life. When you were at the Dursley's before my sixth year, I told you almost everything that had happened to me. But I didn't tell you what had happened only a few weeks earlier. I was in the Ministry of Magic, and I found out something.  
  
There is a reason that trouble always seems to find me. Well, not all the trouble, but all the trouble that has to do with Voldemort. You see, there was a prophecy made, almost seventeen years ago, by Professor Trelawney, no less. It was one of two prophecies she ever actually gave. It talked about me. And Voldemort. That the only way one of us could die was by the others hand. That's how it happened. He's been trying to kill me for sixteen years so that I wouldn't. Now that I have killed him, the prophecy is complete. All of the remaining Death Eaters at the Great Battle were rounded up and brought to Azkaban. But I realized something. Not a long time ago, in fact, just as I wrote that last sentence. Not all of them have been captured. Peter Pettigrew, or Wormtail, is still alive. He is the cause of this. Either him or the Slytherins, whose parents were Death Eaters, such as Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle.  
  
I understand what you mean, I am dangerous, and I think it would be hard to live with. But please, let me have the chance to make it stop. Let me have the chance to stop the fighting, the danger. That's all I'm asking from you. Not to be taken back. Just to be given the chance to explain myself, and to be your friend.  
  
-Harry  
  
He looked at the letter. Why hadn't it come to him before? He was so silly to have not realized about Wormtail. He ran upstairs to get dressed. He promised himself that he would talk to Dumbledore as soon as possible.  
  
He got his chance that morning. He found he had a spare period first, so he went to Dumbledore's office.  
  
He said the password and walked up the spiral staircase to the large oak doors. He knocked once on the griffin shaped knocker.  
  
"Come in." Dumbledore's voice came.  
  
Harry opened the door. "Good morning, Professor."  
  
Dumbledore looked at him. "Did you not get Sirius' note?"  
  
Harry nodded. "I got it, thank you. I wanted to ask you. . . does the Order know that Wormtail is not in Azkaban?"  
  
Dumbledore smiled. "Professor Lupin has been waiting for you to notice that. He was quite disappointed that you had not realized it yet."  
  
Harry cocked his head to the side quizzically.  
  
"We know, Harry. But it is very difficult to catch a rat. Especially a rat who knows the identities of everyone looking for him. We weren't getting too worried about not finding him, as he is a coward, and will not attack in his master's name unless there is something in it for him. Thus, we know that something is happening."  
  
Harry looked at him blankly.  
  
"Harry, we believe it was Peter Pettigrew who attacked you two weeks ago. And we believe that something is happening, something we don't know very much about. Sirius believes that is why he is back."  
  
Harry was confused. He knew exactly what Dumbledore meant, Wormtail would never attack without a reason. "But you can find out, right? I mean, last time, you found out almost everything."  
  
Dumbledore shook his head. "Last time, a prophecy was made directly to me, and we had been working for fifteen years on it. Now, there is no prophecy, there is no time. We have a lot less to work with."  
  
Harry nodded. "Thank you, Professor. I have to get to class."  
  
He walked silently back to the Gryffindor Tower to pick up his book bag. If Wormtail was still around, that meant that there was still danger. He could be lurking behind any corner, in any doorway. Harry shook the thoughts out of his head. He was being silly.  
  
Fifteen minutes later, Harry met Hermione in front of their DADA classroom. Harry realized he'd barely been in class for a month before he'd left, and it made him smile, being back again. They took two seats at the front of the room.  
  
"Good morning, class." Lupin walked to the front of the room. "Welcome back to our class, Harry." He smiled at him.  
  
Harry smiled back. "It's good to be back."  
  
(A/N I can't think o any interesting animals or spells, so I'm going to skip most of the classes. I know what they're doing in Potions, and that's basically it. so I'm going to skip over the lesson completely.)  
  
The bell rang far too soon. "It's not fair, why do we have to leave DADA for Potions?"  
  
Hermione sighed. "I hate to say it, but I agree with you."  
  
Harry raised his eyebrows.  
  
"We're starting to make Veritaserum today. It's probably the hardest potion we've ever made. But guess what we're doing after!"  
  
Harry shrugged. He didn't really feel like guessing, and Hermione looked very excited to tell him.  
  
"Polyjuice Potion!"  
  
Harry grinned, thinking back to his second year.  
  
Hermione's face fell. "I just hope we don't have to test it."  
  
"Test what?" Ron asked, joining them. Hermione just shook her head. It wasn't important.  
  
Harry didn't say anything. He was too busy thinking about Wormtail, and everything Dumbledore had told him. He didn't want to tell them, he knew exactly how they would react. Ron would get worried and not know what to do, and Hermione would tell him to be careful. He decided, after a moment, that they deserved to know anyway.  
  
"Do you guys remember Wormtail?" Harry asked quietly.  
  
Ron went slightly pale. "Yeah, he was my rat, Harry."  
  
"Well, he's still alive. And he's not in Azkaban. The Order wasn't looking too hard for him, because they didn't think he'd do anything unless there was something in it for him, right?"  
  
Hermione nodded slowly, not understanding Harry's point.  
  
"Dumbledore thinks something is up. It may have been Wormtail who attacked me, and Sirius thinks that this is why he's come back. Something may be happening."  
  
Ron's eyes grew wide. "Gee, Harry, what are you going to do?"  
  
Hermione stayed fairly calm, but her eyes grew slightly wide too. "Be careful, Harry."  
  
This actually comforted him. The predictability of his friends made life a lot easier.  
  
Five minutes later, they walked into the Potions dungeon.  
  
Snape walked in. "We are starting Veritaserum, as you all should know, if you were paying attention last class. Potter!" He said sharply. "What is Veritaserum?"  
  
Harry looked up at him, feeling intense loathing, again. "It is a colourless, odourless liquid that makes the drinker tell the truth."  
  
Snape frowned. "Very good." He said icily, clearly upset that Harry had gotten it correct.  
  
"Veritaserum is a complex potion that is required for N.E.W.T. levels. It will take you a few weeks, and is exceedingly difficult. The instructions are on the board, please read them carefully."  
  
Harry read the instructions before he started. Snape was telling the truth, it was incredibly complicated. He got to work.  
  
An hour and a half later, Harry hadn't done anything wrong. He hoped.  
  
"Your potion should be a transparent yellow, about the colour of urine." No one giggled, they all knew better. "It should be giving off a slight scent of orange, which should go away, after we let it sit until next class and add more ingredients next class."  
  
Harry looked into his cauldron. Transparent yellow, smelling like oranges. He looked up and grinned at Hermione, who's potion was also correct.  
  
After they cleaned up, they walked out of the classroom.  
  
Ron groaned. "Mine smelled more like rancid oranges."  
  
Harry laughed. "You'll do fine, don't worry, Ron. It's better than Crabbe's, his was bright green. It looked radioactive."  
  
Ron looked puzzled at the word. Hermione rolled her eyes and told him to forget it.  
  
"And Goyle's exploded, did you see? " She laughed.  
  
After lunch, they had History of Magic and Care of Magical Creatures. "Great," Harry said. "More catching up to do."  
  
Ron shrugged. "I don't know, it's not like we ever work in History of Magic. We just copy Hermione's notes; I don't think it will be a problem."  
  
* * * * *  
  
The next morning, Harry got a letter at owl post.  
  
"Who's it from?" Ron asked, spraying food everywhere. Hermione made a face from behind her book.  
  
Harry shook his head. "It's not important." He mumbled. Ron shrugged and went back to his food. Hermione didn't look up.  
  
Harry hoped he knew who it was from. He shoved it in his pocket to look at later.  
  
He found time during lunch. Hermione was in the library, and Ron was far too busy with his food.  
  
He opened it slowly. He didn't know what it was going to say.  
  
Dear Harry:  
  
I got your letter. That's wonderful for you. It doesn't matter to me that you have no choice. I still don't want to deal with it. I don't want to be your friend, and I don't appreciate the fact that you tried to talk to me, when I asked you not to. Please, for both of our sakes, don't do it again.  
  
-Cho  
  
"Err, Ron, I'm going up to have a nap before class, I'll see you at Charms, okay?"  
  
Ron nodded, and Harry walked up to his dorm.  
  
He sat down on his bed and opened the letter again. He read it over. It seemed so rude, so unlike Cho. But then he noticed something he hadn't the first time.  
  
There were tears splattered down the page, and her writing was shaky.  
  
Harry sighed. She wanted to stay, but she knew it would be harder. She knew that, in the long run, it would be easier.  
  
He flopped back, thinking that maybe things would get easier for him.  
  
* * * * *  
  
The next few days flew by in a flurry of extra school work, extra Quiddich practice, and Head Boy duties.  
  
Before Harry knew it, it was Halloween, and he and Hermione were decorating with the prefects and teachers.  
  
"I do enjoy the decorations, but I really wanted to hold an extra Quiddich practice!" Harry said to Hermione.  
  
She rolled her eyes. "That's all you boys think about. It's just a silly game."  
  
Harry glared at her.  
  
The Halloween feast was delicious. One of the things that Harry loved about feasts was that everyone hung out with everyone. It wasn't just him, Hermione and Ron, it was the entire seventh year. He spent the evening laughing with Seamus, Dean, Neville, and Ron, while Hermione chatted with the girls in their year, Parvati and Lavender.  
  
All the fun of the evening almost made. Harry forget that they had a Quiddich game the next day.  
  
"Check." Ron said. Harry sighed as he looked at the pathetic game board.  
  
It's not fair, Ron. You're too good." He had three pieces left, Ron had three missing.  
  
Ron sighed dramatically, grinning. "It's like I said before. You're a loser."  
  
Harry grinned. "Yeah, but you're a sidekick."  
  
Hermione sat up. "Harry!" She said sharply.  
  
"Hey, why doesn't he get yelled at?"  
  
Hermione frowned. "Because you are Head Boy. You have to set an example. Especially since you are also Quiddich Captain."  
  
Harry jumped. "Quiddich! I have to make the team go to bed! What time is it?"  
  
"Ten o'clock."  
  
Harry groaned. "I can't believe I forgot. . ."  
  
He stood up. "Oy! Quiddich team! Bed, now! Jeremy Snigg and James Dent! Go!" He pointed to the two boys, who were playing Exploding Snap in the corner. He glanced around the rest of the room, looking for Saqua, Katie, and Ginny. He spotted Ginny helping another girl put away a chess set. She nodded at him, and walked upstairs. He spotted Saqua walking upstairs, and found out from a few fourth year girls that Katie had gone to sleep a few minutes earlier.  
  
"Well, Goodnight, Hermione." He said.  
  
She nodded. "Good night, Harry."  
  
"Yeah, good night, mate." Ron said.  
  
Harry frowned. "Ron, you're coming too. You are on the team."  
  
Ron groaned. "I have to go to bed at the same time as third years?"  
  
Harry nodded, smiling weakly. "Now, Ron. I'm going too. We've got to play against Hufflepuff tomorrow."  
  
Harry actually slept well that night, for the first time in a long while. He woke up early the next morning, ready for action. He looked over at Ron, who was still snoring softly. He got up and got dressed before he woke Ron up.  
  
"Mmmph. . . go away. More sleep." He rolled over.  
  
Harry shook him harder. "Wake up, Ron! We have Quiddich."  
  
He sat up. "I'm awake, I'm awake." He said, but his eyes were still closed.  
  
Harry threw a pillow at him, and he opened his eyes.  
  
"Fine, I'm up." He stood up, and a few minutes later later, they were walking down to the Great Hall. "It's way too early for this."  
  
Harry smiled weakly. "Just eat, Ron." He said, and went to check with Ginny if all the girls are here."  
  
They were all in the Great Hall, and after Harry forced them all to eat, they made their way down to the Quiddich pitch.  
  
"Alright, is everyone dressed?" Harry asked. He glanced around, and could see everyone in their Quiddich robes. "Excellent. Now, as I'm sure you all know, I'm not that great at these speeches. But you also know that we have an amazing team, and we are definitely the best team in school. Now lets go and show Hufflepuff that they haven't got a chance."  
  
Ginny brushed against him as they walked out. "I don't see why you say you're so bad at giving speeches. You always did well in the DA, and you do well here."  
  
Harry grinned, and she rolled her eyes.  
  
After kicked off the ground, Harry started looking for the snitch, but it was no where to be found. After almost an hour, he still hadn't seen anything.  
  
"Hurry up, Harry!" Ron called, when Harry circled towards his end of the pitch.  
  
Harry frowned. "Don't rush me, Ron." He flew higher above the pitch, scanning over it. The Hufflepuff seeker, Jasmine Cooper, was at the other end of the pitch, looking over it. Just at that moment, Harry saw a flicker of gold near the ground, on the opposite end of the pitch. He knew if he dove for it, Cooper would see, and dive too, thus getting to the snitch before him. He had to do something, something that would either catch her attention for long enough, or fool her.  
  
When he couldn't think of any distractions, Harry decided to move slowly towards the other end of the pitch, making like he was looking around. It worked, and Cooper didn't give him a second glance. Then when he was just below her . . . he dove. Before Cooper could react, Harry was almost holding onto it. He grabbed the snitch, and not a moment too soon. He flew above the pitch, waving the snitch in the air.  
  
"Great catch, Harry!" Ron yelled. Harry grinned.  
  
A few minutes later, Harry rounded up his team members in the change room. "Alright, people, I don't want to be rude, but that game was horrible. I don't know what got into you. Last game, we played so well, and you've all been doing well in practice. I think maybe you are all tired from the festivities last night, but now you know how to set your priorities. And I want to start having morning practices as well, just in case. I'm not risking any games, I don't want it to depend that much on me. I want you to play as though I wasn't there, as if you had to stay 160 points ahead, so you would still win. Am I clear?"  
  
They all nodded.  
  
"Great, I'll see you all at seven o'clock tomorrow morning."  
  
The entire room groaned, and Harry had to hold himself back from groaning himself. "Come on, guys. It's the weekend, cheer up!"  
  
A few of them rolled their eyes, but Ginny and Ron smiled. The three of them walked outside, where Hermione was waiting for them.  
  
"Congratulations, guys!" She grinned.  
  
"Thanks, Hermione." Ginny grinned.  
  
"Come on, let's get to the celebration party, it's going to start without us!" Harry said. They walked quickly up to the Gryffindor tower, where, as Harry had guessed, the celebration had started already.  
  
Someone had found a banner Dean had made in a previous year, and, again, someone had gone to the kitchens, and brought back Butterbeer and pastries. The party was in full swing, and as Harry walked in, he looked around at all the people.  
  
Everyone was smiling, quite a few people were dancing, and everyone was having fun. Harry felt like he'd been transported into an amazing new place. The night before, everyone had been relaxing, playing games, being calm. Now, everyone was up and moving, partying, having fun.  
  
"This is great!" He said to Ron, a few minutes later.  
  
Ron nodded, grinning. "Best party we've had yet."  
  
That was, of course, until Professor McGonagall came in to tell them to keep it down. "It may be a weekend, but there are still people trying to sleep." She turned on her heel, and walked out.  
  
Harry sighed. "I think I need to sleep, too." Harry said. "I'll see you guys tomorrow."  
  
Ron nodded, and Hermione said good night. Harry walked up the stairs and fell asleep before he hit the bed.  
  
* * * * *  
  
The next month and a half passed slowly, with much more homework than Harry would have liked. He spent so much time writing Potions Essays, practicing charms, and memorising History of Magic notes.  
  
"This is stupid. Why do we have to memorise this stuff? It's not even Christmas!" Ron said, tossing his book on the table.  
  
Harry sighed. "Yeah, Hermione, why do we have to study this stuff? I've got enough work already."  
  
Hermione looked up from behind her book. "Because this is our N.E.W.T. year. This is the year that means everything. If you don't get outstanding in all of your classes, you might not get into the career you want." The next thing she directed at Harry. "You dropped one of your classes, and you are hugely ahead in Defence Against the Dark Arts and Transfiguration. No complaining from you."  
  
Harry frowned, but he knew Hermione was right. He decided that he had too much on his mind to study, and went upstairs. He walked directly to the window, scanning the skies for owls. He was waiting, every day, for Sirius to send him information. In his last letter, he said he'd seen no sign of Wormtail, but he had come across good evidence that said he was out and about. Harry hadn't been attacked again since October, but he knew it would only be so long before something happened. He'd been receiving worse and worse treatment from the Slytherins, but it was nothing he couldn't handle.  
  
He sighed. It was hard. He wished he wasn't at Hogwarts, and it was one of the few times he ever had. The only difference was, this time, everyone didn't think he was a killer.  
  
Where he wanted to be was with Cho, back in London, even for just a day. He hadn't thought about it too often, he couldn't. He also couldn't talk to anyone about it. He had told Ron that he'd broken up with Cho, but he couldn't tell him that two months later, he was still thinking about her.  
  
It wasn't that he hadn't gotten over her, or that he was obsessing over her, it wasn't that at all. He just missed her, and he thought about her sometimes.  
  
Harry walked back to his bed and sat down. Christmas break was to start in less than a week, and Harry was quite sure that he would be alone. Ron was going home, because his parents wanted him to visit Bill (A/N: is that the one who works in Egypt? I think Charlie works in Romania, but they kept going home in the books, so I was confused) in Egypt with them. Hermione was going home as well, her parents wanted to see her, and she wanted to get lots of studying in the holidays.  
  
Harry was not set to go anywhere. He was staying right where he was. Where would he be able to go, anyway? The Dursleys? He didn't mind much, he could practice Quiddich a bit, get some quiet studying in, and have plenty of time for himself.  
  
Harry pulled out another set of notes, as he'd left his History of Magic notes in the common room, and studied them until he fell asleep.  
  
The next day, the sign up sheet for staying for the holidays was up on the notice board. But that was not all that was up. There was a notice to any students who were planning on staying over the break.  
  
THE MINISTRY OF MAGIC WILL BE WORKING OUT OF HOGWARTS FOR THE  
CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS, AS THE MINISTRY IS UNDER RENOVATION.  
Please be prepared for the Minister and his staff. Please work quietly  
when outside of your common room, and be prepared to give directions  
or any other help to ANY MINISTRY STAFF THAT ASKS IT.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Wow, almost four thousand words! So cool!  
  
Kraeq001: I'm glad you like it!  
  
Slimpun: Ummm..that was an incredibly long run on sentence, and I can't really understand it. I think you were trying to get me to write about something, but I'm not sure.  
  
Wuzup13579: hold your horses. Don't be such a wuss! Kidding, you'll have to wait.  
  
Light_of_the_moon: I think I already answered this one, didn't I? I can't remember.  
  
Dragoon knight: no, Cho isn't gone for good, but they're not going to have one of those 'oh, I realized I can't live without you' moments. I'm not planning on Cho being too much for Harry until my next story, which will be about after he graduates. Though I might just add it on the end of this one, instead of starting a new one.  
  
Well, that's all for today, with not nearly enough reviews! Well, actually, that's not quite true. I'm up to 50 reviews, just in this story. It's fun fun fun!  
  
-unolimbo 


	14. Christmas at Hogwarts

Harry stared at the notice with his mouth hanging open.  
  
"What are you looking at?" said Ron, walking up behind Harry.  
  
"Oh!" Hermione said, seeing the board.  
  
Ron looked at them. "Oh? Why oh?"  
  
Hermione rolled her eyes. "That means Cho will be here." She said sharply.  
  
Ron's eyes grew slightly wide, and he nodded.  
  
"Err, I'll catch up with you guys. . . I forgot my quill. . ." He walked back up to the dormitory. He didn't know why; he wasn't planning on writing a letter, or anything of the sort, he just wanted to get away from them. He went downstairs five minutes before class started, and got to class just as the bell rang. Hermione looked like she wanted to say anything, but she kept her mouth shut (with great effort), and Ron seemed to have forgotten completely.  
  
After a little while, Harry decided that he was okay with Cho coming for three weeks. At least he'd be able to get a chance to talk to her. And maybe he could make some more money, working with the Ministry, like he had during the summer.  
  
At the end of the week, Harry took the carriage to the platform with Ron and Hermione. Professor McGonagall said it was alright for him to go, and fly back. He considered bringing his broom, but decided he didn't want to bother carrying it.  
  
"So when are the Ministry workers getting here?" Ron asked, when they were settled in the carriage.  
  
Hermione, who's head was barely visible from behind her book, looked up. "They're coming just as we leave. The same train. There was a notice this morning."  
  
Ron shrugged. "Works for me."  
  
Harry laughed. Hermione gave him a look. "I'm trying to study." She said icily.  
  
Harry sighed. "Hermione, you're going to have three weeks to study. These are your last moments with your friends!"  
  
She didn't move from behind her book. Before Hermione could do anything, Harry had reached forward and grabbed her book. "I'm holding it hostage for the rest of the trip." He grinned, slipping it underneath him. "I dare you to try and get it."  
  
Hermione frowned and stuck out her tongue at him.  
  
Ron grinned. "So Hermione, are you planning on saying hello to your parents, or are you just going to put a nametag on the outside of your book?"  
  
Hermione continued frowning. Harry sighed and slipped the book out from underneath himself. "Fine, if you're going to sulk, I'll give it back. But please pay attention to us!"  
  
Hermione smiled sweetly at him, and slipped her book into her bag.  
  
"Have either of you read the Prophet lately?" She asked.  
  
Harry shook his head, as did Ron.  
  
"Fudge is having trouble. He's in a really hard term, what with Voldemort and everything. It turns out the Wizengamot isn't very happy with the way he's trying to fix things. And if they have a consensus, he's gone."  
  
Ron looked at her.  
  
"For goodness sake, Ron, consensus! Every single one of them agrees. Didn't you ever learn to speak English?"  
  
Harry laughed. He glanced out the window, they were at the platform. "Come on." He said, standing up, as the carriage came to a halt. He jumped down onto the platform, and they stood, waiting for the train. A moment later, it came into view. Another moment later, it had pulled up at the platform, and the doors were opening. The Wizengamot filed out first, and steeped directly into the first set of carriages. The minister came out, and proceeded to attempt to strike up a conversation with Dumbledore, who had just turned up.  
  
Harry waved to Ron and Hermione as they got on the train, and stepped back towards the school. "Harry!" He heard Fudge say. He turned around. "Do you need a carriage back to the school?"  
  
Harry shook his head. "No thank you, sir, I'm flying."  
  
Fudge looked puzzled. "I don't see your broom."  
  
Harry smiled weakly. "I'm an animagus, sir, remember? I took my test a few months ago."  
  
Fudge turned slightly red. "Of course, of course. . . phoenix, lovely creature."  
  
Taking that as a goodbye, Harry turned into his phoenix, and flew into the air. About twenty feet up, he looked down, and could see Cho get off the train and look into the sky directly at him.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Harry flew back to the castle and landed at the front door, just as the carriages were pulling up. He decided it was slightly too cold to wait outside, so he went in. A moment later the Minister walked in.  
  
"Ah, Harry! Can I help you with something?" Fudge asked, seemingly confused at why Harry was still there.  
  
"Actually, sir, yes." Harry said. The minister raised his eyebrows. "I was wondering if I could help, do some work, like I did this summer."  
  
"Ah, of course!" Fudge said, his face brightening. "I thought. . . you see. . . very well! You're welcome to help, as long as you focus on your studies first!" He punched Harry playfully on the arm. "You are welcome to help our assistant, Ms. Chang."  
  
Harry swallowed. "Err, yes, sir."  
  
He walked down the hall, looking for Cho. He finally found her going over paperwork in the library. It seemed that she had gone in the second she'd arrived at the school.  
  
"Hey." He said, sitting down, and trying to stop his heart from beating to hard.  
  
Cho jerked her head up. "What are you doing here?" She demanded.  
  
Harry raised an eyebrow. "I'm supposed to work with you. Hello would be sufficient."  
  
She frowned. "Well, don't get in my way."  
  
Harry took the chance to frown as well. "When do I ever get in the way?"  
  
Cho had gone back to her paperwork. "All the time." She muttered.  
  
Harry sighed. "Fine. What are you working on?"  
  
He looked at her. She looked tired. She was a bit thinner, she had bags under her eyes, and she was definitely grouchy.  
  
"I'm reviewing the competitors for the next election.. It is in a month, but you wouldn't pay attention to these things, would you?"  
  
Harry couldn't understand why she was being so harsh with him. "I did know that. What do you want me to do."  
  
Cho didn't answer. She looked like she was thinking, but before she said anything, she put her head on her desk. "Take my job for an evening." She said, though Harry could barely hear it, as she was muffled by the table.  
  
Harry shrugged. "Okay."  
  
She shot her head up and looked at him, which made Harry feel very uncomfortable. "re you serious?"  
  
Harry nodded. "Hermione is forcing me and Ron to study over the holidays, but she's not here. She can't enforce it."  
  
Cho smiled, which surprised Harry. He hadn't seen her smile in what seemed like forever. "Thank you so much." She stood up. "You just have to read over all these applications, make sure they are from England, and make sure they are the right age group, from 18 to 70, and check their criminal records. If they have anything worse than magic in the presence of muggles, or something of the sort, put them in a different pile, and I will check over them tomorrow. Oh yes, and check their campaigns, make sure there's nothing inappropriate."  
  
Harry nodded. "Goodnight, Cho."  
  
"Goodnight, Harry."  
  
Harry felt a tingle go through his body at that. That was another thing he missed, along with her smiling. He missed his name, hearing her say it.  
  
"It's strange how you never miss something until it's gone."  
  
He'd heard that quote years ago, but it still applied. He never thought anything of a smile, but now, he longed for it.  
  
He looked back down at the papers and got to work. He worked for what seemed like hours. He couldn't understand how Cho could live with a job like that. Do all that work, and get absolutely no credit for it. it made Harry feel very guilty, as he had done nothing, but was famous since the age of one.  
  
The next morning, Harry decided to sleep in. It was Christmas eve, and he didn't want to have to deal with the Ministry. He lay in his bed, staring at the roof of his canopy bed. He certainly wasn't excited for Christmas, that was for sure. He always enjoyed opening his presents with his friends. He never got particularly exciting presents, he just enjoyed being with his friends. Now, he was the only one of his friends staying. There were three Gryffindors staying, him, and two first years. No Slytherins, which made Harry happy, one or two Ravenclaws Harry didn't know, and a second year Hufflepuff.  
  
After a short while, Harry decided his stomach had won over his heart, and he would venture downstairs to find some food. He walked down to the Great Hall, which he found had greatly changed. There was a great curtain in the centre of the room, cutting it in half. On one side, was the normal Great Hall, with two long tables, enough seats for the few Hogwarts staff and students, as well as the Ministry officials. On the other side were desks and tables, a large workspace for everyone from the Ministry to work. Harry could see Cho at a desk near the front, and he walked over to her.  
  
"Morning." He muttered. Cho didn't look up.  
  
"If you need something to do, you can take a look at these applications. I go through about ten every day, because we're still hiring."  
  
Harry nodded and sat down. "Cho?"  
  
"Mm?" Again, she didn't look up.  
  
"Why are there so few people here?"  
  
"It's Christmas eve. We don't need that many people over Christmas, that's why it's the best time o renovate. Now please be quiet, I'm trying to work."  
  
Harry frowned at this, but Cho didn't see. Her head was still down.  
  
Christmas came and went. Harry received minimal gifts, like he always did, but he didn't really care. He got enough candy to last him to the next Hogsmeade trip, easily, and he had received some new reading material. Christmas dinner was delicious, but boring. The other students were all uncomfortable with being at the same table as the teachers AND the Minister of Magic, the Minister spent a major part of the meal asking Dumbledore questions about 'his opinion,' but really just asking him how to be the Minister. Harry couldn't even try to talk to Cho, to make her a little less distant, because she had placed herself at the other end of the table. Though she was so far away, Harry could see that she had been crying before the meal.  
  
Before he knew it, it was the last day of the holidays, and the Ministry was packing up.  
  
"Hey Cho." Harry said, as she transferred her papers into a bag.  
  
"What do you want?" She snapped.  
  
Harry was a little shocked, she had at least been civil towards him for the past three weeks. "Umm, I wanted to say, 'Hi, have a nice trip.'"  
  
"Harry, we are not friends, and we never will be. We don't even work together any more. I talked to you because I had to. I told you before, I don't want to talk to you anymore, so just leave me alone."  
  
Harry frowned. "Fine." He turned on his heel and marched out of the Great Hall. He didn't know why, but when he got back to his dormitory, Harry actually cried. He didn't think he'd ever cried over Cho. But he knew. She had said it. "We are not friends. . . we never will be." He knew she was telling the truth. They would never be friends.  
  
He sat down at his desk and took out a piece of parchment and a quill.  
  
Dear Sirius,  
  
Please, give me some information. No one has tried to kill me in a while, I think it's because the Minister was here. But something is definitely up.  
  
Something isn't right. I can feel it. You are here, and that's the first step. Second, I was attacked, and no one has been caught for that. In my experience, that means they'll do it again. Do we have any new leads? I just can't sit here and wait. You know what happened last time I sat back and didn't make anyone tell me anything. You died, remember? Please write back to me. I need information. I don't want to be left in the dark again.  
  
-Harry  
  
Harry sat in a chair in the common room, staring at the fire. He watched it flicker upwards, then recede back to the wood. It sparked hugely, but that only lasted a second. After Harry stared at it for hours, the fire slowly burned out. When Ron and Hermione returned from their vacation that night, they found him sitting there, as he had been hours earlier, staring at the black remains of the fire.  
  
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Ha ha! Coolest metaphor ever! And I made it up all by my self! So frickin' proud!  
  
Xavier II: why would I mind you? You're reviewing, which makes me happy. Again I mention, NO ONE REVIEWS THIS STORY! I think the people who read Harry Potter fanfiction have some phobia of the 'go' button. And I think 2000 words is long enough, don't you?  
  
Potter4prez: will you look at that, I did! (even if it is the wrong weekend)  
  
Shannon K. M: to quote you: 'im not gonna word of yours." I don't get it. please explain. I'm at a loss for wording. (that was mocking, and I'm sorry, it was mean, but it was funny! And if this makes no sense because you don't speak English well, I'm really, really sorry)  
  
Dbrules17: thanks.  
  
Wuzup13579: yeah, yeah. Hold your frickin' horses.  
  
Indigal: hurray for horrible clichés! Gotta love 'em! You'll just have to read to find out about Wormtail. And you know, I'll have to write it, but that's a mere technicality.  
  
Review more! Erg!  
  
-unolimbo 


	15. Attack

Okey dokey, here's chapter 15. . . don't get too excited. It's late, I'm tired, and I'm quite sure the last chapter was crap.  
  
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Dear Harry:  
  
I have very little, if any, good information for you. I probably shouldn't say this in print, but Hedwig is reliable, that much is for sure.  
  
There is definitely something up. I'm not quite sure what. There have been almost no sightings of Peter, but we know he's around, and he's active. But I think that that's the least of our problems. I think that he's working for someone. Not Voldemort, he's definitely gone. I think there's someone new. Don't take my word for it, it's just a hunch. I don't think Peter would do this kind of thing without someone telling him to, let alone a motive.  
  
That's basically all I've got. I'm sorry if I've disappointed. And don't worry, I'll send you information any time I get any.  
  
-Sirius  
  
Harry read the letter, and reread it. Nothing. Just a hunch of Sirius'.  
  
Harry had been sitting still for hours when Hermione and Ron got back to school. Hermione finally dragged him out of the chair. "Come on, Harry. You can't sit here forever!" She said, pulling on his arm.  
  
"I'm fine." Harry snapped, pulling his arm away from her  
  
Ron and Hermione looked at him. "Get up. Now." Hermione said with such menace in her voice, that Harry was afraid not to listen to her.  
  
He slowly stood up, his legs seizing up. "I'm coming, I'm coming." They went and sat down on the couch.  
  
"So, what happened?" Ron asked.  
  
Harry shrugged. "I worked. You guys knew that."  
  
Hermione rolled her eyes at him. "Harry, you know what we mean!"  
  
He sighed. "Nothing. Worse than nothing. It was horrible."  
  
Hermione frowned. "Why?"  
  
Harry put his head back and closed his eyes. He felt like he was going to fall asleep, and he really didn't want to explain it to them. He knew they would press, but Harry truly felt like he was going to cry if he even thought about it. After the way Cho had treated him, he was passed the stage where he thought there was a chance of getting back together with her. He took a deep breath and told them everything he thought, something he rarely ever did.  
  
"So I know that it's over, and it's weird." He finished, minutes later.  
  
Hermione didn't say anything, and Ron just looked at the ground.  
  
"Are you alright with that?" She asked.  
  
Harry realized that he'd never even thought about that. He didn't know if that's what he wanted or not. "I wish this had never happened, but I'm not going to go chasing after her. She seems to truly hate me now. If she changes her mind, I think she knows that I'm still here."  
  
Hermione nodded. "That's good."  
  
They sat in silence for a while. Harry went back to staring at the fire, which someone had lit when they were talking.  
  
"Harry, you want to go play some Quiddich?"  
  
Hermione gave him a look. "Ron, it's the dead of winter, I don't think Harry-"  
  
"Sure." Harry said quickly. If he was outside on his broom, at least he didn't have to talk to them  
  
Hermione made an exasperated sound, as Ron ran upstairs to get their brooms. Harry smiled. Although he had been dreading it, and the first few minutes were horrible, Harry was glad to have his friends back.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Harry and Ron spent almost two hours outside. Harry had a little trouble seeing the quaffle they were playing with, because of the bright sun shining off the snow, but he didn't mind. It had been ages since he'd been on his broom, and he was happy to be there. Until about five thirty, when they stopped. They didn't stop because they wanted to. They stopped because there was someone else on the pitch.  
  
Someone dressed in a black cloak was walking slowly onto the pitch. They had their hood up, so Harry couldn't see who it was. He assumed they were just a student, out for a stroll, and he and Ron continued to play. Until Ron, who was nearer to the other side of the pitch, noticed something: the person was pulling out a wand.  
  
"Harry. . ." He said, and Harry looked down.  
  
"Not again." He sighed. Ron looked at him, not understanding why he wasn't moving. "When I say go, I want you to fly back to the castle."  
  
Ron nodded. Before he had time to ask what Harry was going to do, they heard the person: a fairly high men's voice, menacing through the cold air. "Avada Kedavra!" The person yelled. A spurt of green light came out of the end of his wand.  
  
"Now!" Harry yelled, as he dodged the spell. He and Ron both sped as fast as they could back to the castle.  
  
They flew right up to their dormitory window, and climbed in.  
  
"What was that?" said Ron, his chest heaving, as he collapsed on the bed.  
  
Harry peered out the window. The person was gone. "I don't know. But I need to tell Dumbledore."  
  
Ron sighed. "Fine, we'll tell Dumbledore." He dragged himself up from the bed, and they walked down to the common room.  
  
Hermione looked up, and looked quite puzzled. "Weren't you playing Quiddich?" She asked.  
  
Harry nodded. He looked at Ron, and noticed he was very pale. "Come on, Herm, we'll explain it to you on the way downstairs."  
  
They walked quickly down to the Great Hall, explaining everything to Hermione. She listened with wide eyes. They entered the Great Hall, to see if Dumbledore was there, and Hermione's eyes grew wide.  
  
"What?" Harry asked. He was afraid that she was staring at him.  
  
She pointed to the other side of the room. "Malfoy." She whispered.  
  
Harry looked. Malfoy was standing on the other side of the room, talking to a bunch of Slytherins.  
  
"Look lower." Hermione whispered again, though Harry couldn't see why. There were enough people in the Great Hall, greeting each other loudly after three weeks apart, that Malfoy wouldn't be able to hear them, but Harry didn't say anything to her.  
  
He looked down. Malfoy's robes were covered in snow. "So?" Harry asked. So Malfoy had been outside, lots of people go outside.  
  
"That's it, Harry! He attacked you!" Ron whispered loudly.  
  
"As much as I don't want to believe it, Ron is right. I think Malfoy did attack you." Hermione sad/  
  
Harry looked sceptically at them. How do you know?"  
  
Hermione rolled her eyes as they sat down at the table. Dumbledore would have to wait. "Crabbe and Goyle are there, but their robes are dry! Why would he go outside without his cronies? He never goes anywhere without them!"  
  
Harry shrugged. "Maybe he wanted some alone time. . ."  
  
Ron snorted. "Alone time, Harry? He's had three weeks of alone time. And in our history in Hogwarts, has he ever gone anywhere alone?"  
  
Harry looked at Malfoy again. He did hate Harry, and it seemed right. He just didn't want to believe that a student could attack another student.  
  
Hermione smiled after a moment. "You're Head Boy!"  
  
Harry chuckled. "Yes, I am."  
  
"Go and tell him to talk to you! Tell him it's school business! And if he doesn't comply, take points off!"  
  
"Isn't that kind of like blackmail?" Harry asked.  
  
Hermione shrugged. "Not really. As the Head Boy, you are supposed to be treated with respect. If he doesn't talk to you, that's like turning away from a teacher when they're in the middle of a sentence."  
  
"Fine." Harry said, exasperated. He didn't want to fight with his friends anymore.  
  
All three of them got up. "Hermione," Harry asked, as they walked over, "you're Head Girl, why don't you ask?"  
  
She shrugged. "It's not my fight. And besides," she added, "I didn't think of that."  
  
"Malfoy!" Harry said sharply.  
  
He turned his head, and sneered. "What do you want?"  
  
"First thing, I want you to treat your Head Boy with respect, or you're going to lose some points."  
  
The entire party of Slytherins looked at Malfoy at this, so he slunk behind them, out of the Great Hall.  
  
"Malfoy, why did you go outside?" Hermione asked.  
  
He glared at them. "What are you talking about?"  
  
"Why is your cloak wet, but no one else's is?" She asked again. She'd gotten good at dealing with people she didn't like, so Harry just let her go at it.  
  
"Because I went outside."  
  
"Yes, I know that." Hermione snapped. Malfoy looked smugly at her. " Why did you go outside alone?"  
  
He shrugged. "I wanted some air. I was tired after the train ride."  
  
Harry and Ron traded nervous glances; this wasn't turning out the way they had hoped.  
  
"Why did you attack Harry?" Hermione jumped to.  
  
His face lit up. "Someone attacked Harry? Bloody brilliant!"  
  
Harry frowned. "Hermione, give it up."  
  
She sighed. "Fine. Five points from Slytherin, you can go back inside."  
  
"Hey! Why did you take points off, Mudblood?" He demanded.  
  
"The first five were for being a rude, conceited little brat."  
  
"And the other ten are for calling Hermione a Mudblood." Harry spoke up. "If I hear you calling anyone a Mudblood, I'll be taking away a lot more than ten points."  
  
Harry glanced at the counters. Fifteen emeralds flew out of the Slytherin counter.  
  
Malfoy glared at them, turned on his heel, and marched back inside.  
  
"Listen, I'll see you guys at dinner, I've got to go find Professor Dumbledore." Harry said. Hermione and Ron both nodded, and he made his way upstairs towards Dumbledore's office. He said the password, and walked up the stairs.  
  
"Come in." Dumbledore said, when Harry knocked. "Ah, good afternoon, Harry, what can I do for you?"  
  
"I've got a problem, Professor." Harry started. "I was attacked again."  
  
Dumbledore leaned forward, looking stern. "Go on."  
  
"Erm-" Harry didn't exactly know how to put it. "Well, Ron and I were playing Quiddich, and someone walked onto the pitch. We didn't know what they were doing, but they shot Avada Kedavra at us. We flew right back to our dormitory."  
  
Dumbledore nodded.  
  
"One more thing." Harry said. The entire time he'd been there, he'd been debating whether or not to tell Dumbledore about Malfoy. He decided he needed to know. "Hermione thinks that it was Malfoy. We saw that his cloak was wet when we got to the Great Hall, and none of his friends' were. We asked him why he was outside, and he said he wanted some fresh air after the train ride. I'm just not sure."  
  
Dumbledore nodded. "We will try to talk to Mr. Malfoy. But since there is no real evidence, only your and Mr. Weasley's word, we cannot give him Veritaserum. So I cannot guarantee that we will be able to get any information from him."  
  
Harry nodded. "Yes, Professor."  
  
"Is there anything else, Harry?"  
  
Harry shook his head. "No, Professor."  
  
Dumbledore smiled. "Good night, Harry. The Order will do it's best to help you."  
  
Harry smiled back, and went back downstairs.  
  
"Well?" Ron asked, as soon as he sat down at the table.  
  
Harry sighed. "He said they're doing what they can. They can't give Malfoy Veritaserum, because they have no evidence against them, just our word."  
  
Hermione looked up from her book. "We have to do something about this, Harry."  
  
He sighed. "What are you talking about?"  
  
She looked back at her book, but kept talking. "You cannot go anywhere alone."  
  
Ron snorted. "That's stupid. Harry is the best wizard out of all of us, what good would we do in keeping him safe?"  
  
Hermione flipped the page casually. "Absolutely nothing. But two more eyes can always help. If someone does attack Harry, we have a better chance of warning him, and of seeing who the perpetrator is. We can also go and get Professor Dumbledore, or one of the other teachers."  
  
Harry thought about it. It was true, that was a good way of thinking about it. "Fine. But is there any time I'm allowed to be by myself?"  
  
Hermione nodded. "Sure." Harry's hopes rose. "Whenever you're in the common room or dormitory." His heart fell again.  
  
"Great." He muttered.  
  
* * * * * Weeks passed. Harry felt horribly stifled, he was never apart from his friends. He and Ron spent as much time as they could on the Quiddich pitch, which was hard in the late January/ early February cold. Harry didn't mind it, because he enjoyed the quiet. Ron would usually be at the other end of the pitch, so Harry had time to think. He didn't mind the cold that much; he was so used to being uncomfortable that it didn't bother him any more.  
  
Only problem was, Ron didn't feel the same way, so they rarely spent more than an hour outside. "Harry, let's go inside!" Ron called from the other end of the pitch, one day in early February.  
  
Harry sighed. He had been hoping that Ron would stay out for a long time. "I'm coming." He called across the pitch. That's when he noticed something at the edge of the stands. A great black dog was sitting there.  
  
"Err, Ron, I'll catch up with you in a minute, okay?"  
  
Ron looked at him. "I'm not sure, Harry. . ."  
  
Harry shrugged it off. "It's fine, mate, It's been over three weeks, and nothing has happened. I'll be fine for a minute." He didn't know why he didn't have Ron stay. Ron knew about Sirius, but Harry was sure he had some real information for him, and wanted to get it himself.  
  
Ron shrugged. "Sure, whatever." He flew to the ground and walked back to the school. Harry watched him until he disappeared through the doors. As soon as he did, Harry turned and ran over to Sirius. He turned back into himself just as Harry got there.  
  
"Harry, I've got information for you." Sirius said. He looked quite serious.  
  
Harry nodded. "We can't stay here, and we can't go inside. It's not during classes, everyone will be walking around inside. We wouldn't be able to get by."  
  
Sirius nodded. "We can go into the forest, can't we?"  
  
Harry nodded. "Lets go." He turned into a phoenix, and Sirius turned back into a dog. Harry flew, and Sirius ran, into the forest. They came to a halt in a small clearing, sure that they were away from any centaurs, spiders, or (Harry did hope he was gone) giants.  
  
"Well?" Harry asked anxiously.  
  
"We've found Wormtail. And we've found what he's doing."  
  
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I am the evilest evil eviler in the whole wide world! Hee hee!  
  
Indigal: the Cho/Harry thing is not going to be solved for a very long time. Don't worry, it will be solved, but it's not the first thing on my agenda.  
  
Potter4prez: No one is controlling her. Indigal got it just right: she has to view him as nothing.  
  
Wuzup13579: well, you should probably learn to be patient!  
  
Dragoon knight: sort of. He's really just confused.  
  
Xavier II: again I say, look at Indigal's review for chapter 14. she got it exactly right.  
  
Omeganian: My god, these are all such good ideas from all of you people! But no, no Imperius curse.  
  
Shannon K. M: that does make more sense! You don't need to worry, but you might need to bite your nails for a little while. Like I said before, it's not first on my agenda.  
  
-unolimbo 


	16. A worm and a ball

Just a note: later in this chapter, Parvati and Lavender are talking to Harry/Ron/Hermione, and they all seem like very close friends. I am completely sure that people will think that this is out of character, because they're not close friends in the book. But rest assured, there are parts in the book where they are perfectly friendly with each other, as with Ron and Hermione, and I was getting really, really, bored of Harry only having two friends.  
  
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"What do you mean, you've found him?" Harry asked. He didn't like the sound of that.  
  
"I mean we've found him. Well, it's not like we know where he's living, but we do know that he's in England. He's doing something with a few old Death Eaters that are in Azkaban."  
  
Harry nodded. He knew that the Death Eaters in Azkaban could not escape again; they had all had their wands broken, and there were heavily armed wizards guarding them. The new Azkaban guarding system was much stronger then the Dementors. There were many men posted outside of cells, but, as Harry knew from his work at the Ministry, there were also many men hidden under invisibility cloaks and spells. If anyone escaped from their cell, they would be caught.  
  
"That's not the worst part." Said Sirius, looking grave. "There's a new generation of Death Eaters. Children of Death Eaters, close friends of those children, and any others that are interested."  
  
Harry shrugged. "But what can they do? Voldemort can't come back, you and Dumbledore both said he couldn't."  
  
Sirius shook his head. "No, he can't. but he still has power, has a hold on people, after he's gone. Last time, sixteen years ago, when the world thought he was dead, some of the Death Eaters thought so too. But they still believed in him, they still did things inn his name. And that's what they're doing now, as far as we know."  
  
Harry nodded. "So it is the Slytherins!"  
  
Sirius shook his head again. "You cannot make the assumptions that every Slytherin is a Death Eater. You must do some research. The only students that the order is making sure to keep an eye on are Lucius Malfoy's son, and his two friends, sons of Crabbe and Goyle."  
  
Harry sighed. "Of course they would be."  
  
"About Wormtail," said Sirius, "we know that he is not the leader. He is taking orders from someone. It's not one of the Death Eaters in Azkaban, that is for sure. It must be one of the new generation. I don't know who, though."  
  
Harry narrowed his eyes. "Draco Malfoy."  
  
"Probably." Sirius said. "We should go. It's going to get dark soon, it's dangerous in the forest then, for both of us."  
  
Harry nodded, and gave Sirius a hug. "I'll talk to you later." He said.  
  
"Fly above the trees, okay? We're going different directions now, and I don't want you to get hurt."  
  
"What about you?" Harry demanded.  
  
"I'll be fine. Most of the animals here know me, they let me pass through, as long as I don't stay and chat. I know where I'm going."  
  
Harry nodded. "Bye Sirius."  
  
Sirius smiled. "Bye, Harry."  
  
Harry turned back into a phoenix and flew high above the trees. He could just see the castle in the distance.  
  
He landed at the front door and changed back. He walked inside, and sat down at the Gryffindor table.  
  
"Where on earth were you?" Hermione hissed.  
  
"Yeah, mate, we were worried, and Hermione yelled at me for leaving!" Ron whispered. "I'll tell you guys later." Harry whispered back. "And you really don't need to worry. I can handle myself."  
  
After dinner, Dumbledore stood up. "Boys and girls," he said, and everyone looked at the head table. "As I'm sure you all know, next Friday is February 14th, or Valentine's Day. Now, Hogwarts does not usually hold Valentines as a special occasion, but we have decided that this year we will hold a ball." Heads turned in the hall, and the sound of whispering rose. Dumbledore smiled. "The ball will take place on Valentine's day. I hope you all enjoy it."  
  
The entire hall was whispering now. Harry sat perfectly still. He didn't want to have to go to a ball, especially not on Valentine's day. Everyone else would be with dates, with girlfriends and boyfriends. He didn't want to be the only person there by himself.  
  
"Harry, who are you going to bring?" Ron asked.  
  
Harry jolted out of his thoughts. "I don't know. I wasn't planning on taking anyone."  
  
Hermione rolled her eyes. "Harry, you're Head Boy, Captain of a winning Quiddich team, and you saved the world. Basically every girl in the school would want to go with you."  
  
Harry shrugged. "I don't really know many of them. I don't have any desire to go out with them."  
  
Ron punched him. "Harry, this could very well be your last Hogwarts ball!"  
  
Harry sighed. "So? It's what, my second? Third? It's not like I enjoy them so much."  
  
He knew he was being silly, but he really didn't know any girls he wanted to go with. had it been even six months earlier, he would have known exactly who he wanted to take. Two months ago, he would have wanted to take Cho, even though she wouldn't come (if she had still been at Hogwarts). Now, he would rather be out playing Quiddich, or just hanging out with his friends.  
  
The next few days passed slowly and painfully, mostly because Hermione was right. He had at least three girls ask him to the ball. He didn't know who any of them were, so he said no. He also had girls who tried to get him to ask them: they would say hello to him in the hall, offer to study with him, or ask him to walk them to class. Parvati Patil found this immensely funny, as she had gone to the ball in fourth year with him, and he had ignored her.  
  
She and Ron actually had something in common: they were both making fun of Harry for it. every time Ron was with Harry and they passed Parvati, the two of them would pretend to be fighting over Harry. It bothered Harry at first, which helped make those days painful, but then he noticed the reactions of the girls around him, and he too found it immensely funny. Hermione didn't.  
  
"Oh, Harry, will you come to the dance with me?" Parvati asked, fluttering her eyelashes.  
  
"Oh no, Parvati, Harry's going with me!" Lavender giggled. Ron acted like a body guard for Harry. Hermione thought they were being very rude to the poor girls who actually wanted to go to the ball with Harry.  
  
"C'mon, Hermione, they deserve it."  
  
"What do you mean, 'poor girls?'" Harry asked Hermione. He turned to Ron. "And what do you mean, 'they deserve it?' What am I, a punishment?"  
  
Parvati laughed. "That's exactly it! A horrible punishment, complete agony."  
  
Harry couldn't help but smile, though he tried to look miffed.  
  
Dean, Seamus, and Neville walked up. "Doesn't work, Harry. You can play a damn good game of Quiddich, and you can save the world, but you sure as hell can't act." Dean laughed.  
  
Harry sighed. "I guess."  
  
He enjoyed those days, the few leading up to the dance.  
  
The day of the ball, Harry sat on his bed, reading, when Ron walked in.  
  
"I never thought about it, Ron. Who are you going with?"  
  
Ron turned red. "hmm." He mumbled.  
  
Harry sat up, grinning. He had figured it out, but he was having fun tormenting Ron. "Pardon?"  
  
"Hermione." Ron said a little louder, turning towards his bed, hoping that Harry couldn't see him blush.  
  
Harry laughed. "Am I allowed to tell her you're embarrassed about that?"  
  
Ron turned around. "Don't you dare. . ." but he stopped when he saw Harry grinning. "You shouldn't make fun of me for this."  
  
Harry shrugged. "Why not? You made fun of me for my date. Or, lack there of."  
  
Ron nodded. "I guess."  
  
Almost an hour later, Harry decided it was time to get dressed. He threw on his bottle green robes, and looked in the mirror. His hair was a mess. He shrugged. It wasn't like he was trying to impress anyone.  
  
Ron, on the other hand, was going slightly crazy. Harry was just glad Fred and George had taken his advice and bought Ron new dress robes. He was straightening them every few moments, and looking in the mirror, fixing his hair.  
  
Harry stood up, dragging him away. "Ron. Hermione isn't going to care. It's not like she doesn't know what you look like every day."  
  
"Fine." Ron sighed, taking one last look in the mirror, and heading downstairs.  
  
Harry put on his shoes, trying to decide if he was even going to go downstairs to the Great Hall. Maybe he'd be happy staying in the common room by himself. He decided that Ron and Hermione would get mad if he didn't show up (though deep down, he really didn't think they'd notice), so he went down. He ran into Parvati and Lavender in the common room.  
  
"Hello, Harry, going to the Great Hall?" Lavender asked.  
  
Harry nodded. "Hey, Lavender, Parvati."  
  
Dean and Ginny met up with them at that moment, and they all walked down to the Great Hall together.  
  
"So who did you take?" Parvati asked.  
  
Harry looked at her, puzzled. "To what?"  
  
Lavender rolled her eyes. "To the ball, Harry."  
  
He blushed. "Oh, right. No one."  
  
Her eyes grew wide. "Really? No one?"  
  
He nodded.  
  
"Okay, Dean, Ginny, Lavender, pay up." Parvati put out her hand. Grumbling, the three of them each put a five sickles into her hand.  
  
Harry stared at them. "What was that about?"  
  
"We bet to see who you would take to the ball." Said Ginny, "Parvati bet on nobody. She didn't think you would accept any one's invitations."  
  
Harry looked at Parvati. She was grinning at him. He frowned. "That's harsh."  
  
She shrugged. "It's a gamblers world."  
  
Everyone laughed. They were at the Great Hall. They walked into the room, and they all gasped, except Harry, who had, in fact, helped decorate.  
  
It wasn't like Professor Lockhart had decorated in their second year; this was tasteful. Instead of being covered with massive hearts and things, so thick that one could not see across the tables, there were subtle decorations: red tablecloths, heart shaped lamps, and a valentine's banner over the door, where one could only see it if one was inside, looking at the door.  
  
They sat down at a table. The four great tables were gone, replaced with smaller, round tables for about ten. It was obvious that students were not meant to sit with their houses, in case they had dates out of house.  
  
The Gryffindors sat together anyway. Ron and Hermione were already sitting at the table, as well as Neville and Seamus. Neither of them had dates either, Harry noted.  
  
Harry enjoyed the dinner part of the evening. With Hermione not bolting down her food to rush to the library, Parvati and Ron no longer making fun of him, and the cheery atmosphere of the room, Harry was quite happy staying in his seat. He was glad he had decided to come. He didn't want to miss the food.  
  
After everyone had finished their meal, they moved out to the Entrance Hall, so that the Great Hall could be cleaned up and prepared for the dance.  
  
In anticipation of the dance, everyone had split up into their couples. And it turned out Seamus and Dean did have dates, they just hadn't eaten with them, leaving Harry to talk to Parvati and Lavender.  
  
"This is going to be fun!" Lavender squealed. Parvati nodded, and Harry shrugged.  
  
"What about you two, don't you girls have dates?" Harry asked.  
  
Parvati shook her head. "No one asked me, and there was no one I wanted to ask."  
  
Harry rolled his eyes. "How come when a girl does it, no one cares, but when a guy does it, he gets made fun of."  
  
Lavender punched him. "It's not because you're a boy, it's because you're you."  
  
Harry was slightly confused.  
  
"Because you're Harry Potter." Parvati sighed. Harry nodded, not really caring what they meant. They doors to the Great Hall opened, and they walked back in.  
  
The tables were gone, but there were still red, heart shaped lamps over the candles, bathing the room in soft pink light.  
  
Parvati and Lavender giggled when they walked in. Harry sighed and sat down in one of the chairs on the edge of the room. Looking back at the dance later, he didn't think he left the chair in the first two hours. In fact, he thought he might have even fallen asleep at one point, but he wasn't sure. Hermione and Ron came to talk to him for a few minutes, and Lavender and Parvati sat with him between dances with various boys.  
  
Harry was pretty sure he was glad he didn't have a date. He didn't want to have to deal with dancing. Near to the end of the dance, he went outside for some fresh air. The good thing about it being the middle of February was that although it was a fairly warm February, very few couples dared to go outside to kiss.  
  
Harry walked around the small courtyard, thinking. Not about anything in particular, just wherever his brain took him.  
  
He walked around until he couldn't feel his fingers, and walked back inside. The dance was over, and everyone was walking back up to their common rooms.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Weeks passed by, and Ron and Hermione seemed to forget that they had vowed Harry would never go anywhere alone. In fact, he was finding himself alone increasingly often. It didn't bother him too much. He had spent his entire life alone, and it wasn't like Ron and Hermione were avoiding him, so he could still share jokes with Ron.  
  
School got harder. Much harder. As difficult as he had thought school to be before Christmas, it was nothing compared to the time afterward. Harry was constantly studying. He would be doing homework at lunchtime and before classes started in the morning. Teachers were pouring on the work, making it increasingly difficult to get back into Quiddich practices, which started at the end of February.  
  
Quiddich practice was Harry's only time for relaxation. He didn't have to think about dates, spells, or potions. Just flying and catching the ball.  
  
He was expecting to be stressed with making his team better, but he was hard pressed to find obvious mistakes people were making.  
  
"Saqua!" He called, "you're getting cocky again! Keep your eyes on your goal, otherwise, you're not going to have anything to be cocky about!"  
  
"Dent, watch where you're going! I don't want to send anyone to the infirmary!"  
  
He scanned the pitch. Once Saqua and Dent fixed their mistakes, there wasn't much left for Harry to correct.  
  
Harry looked at the horizon every day, hoping for more from Sirius. Nothing came. He decided that he needed to do something. And he needed to tell Hermione and Ron about it first.  
  
That night, he dragged them away from their studying to tell them what had happened with Sirius.  
  
"Why didn't you tell us sooner?" Hermione demanded.  
  
Harry shrugged. "I forgot. Everyone got so excited when Dumbledore announced the ball."  
  
They nodded. "So what do we do?" Hermione asked quietly.  
  
Harry put his head down on the table. "I don't know." He lifted his head. "I'm going to go into Slytherin."  
  
Ron snorted. "And how do you expect to do that?"  
  
Harry smiled. "I take the cloak with me to breakfast tomorrow, and follow some unsuspecting first year back to their common room. I listen to what their password is, and then I go in whenever I want, still under the cloak."  
  
Hermione frowned and shook her head. "Absolutely not."  
  
Harry blinked. "Why?"  
  
She sighed. "Harry, that is possibly the stupidest plan either of you have ever come up with. You will be caught, you know that. And then you will get in trouble with Snape, and you can't afford that, this close to exams. And," She added, before Harry could argue that exams weren't important right now, "it's not like Malfoy will be talking about it right out. There are Slytherins who would tell. This is an underground operation, obviously. I think what would work better is to follow Malfoy. If you see him go towards the Owlry, follow him, and maybe you can intercept the owl."  
  
Harry nodded. "I guess that could work."  
  
From then on, someone was always watching Malfoy. They knew that there were no windows in the dungeons, so they didn't need to worry about him sending a letter from there. One of them would follow him after class. If he went to the library, they would go to the library, and study. When he left, they would leave too, often putting on the invisibility cloak, so he wouldn't notice them.  
  
Finally, one day in mid March, Malfoy went to the Owlry. He went alone, which was lucky for Harry, who happened to be on watch then. He didn't watch the owl, he just turned and walked quickly back to the dungeon, as if he didn't want anyone to see him. Harry put his things in the corner, and changed into a phoenix. A moment later, he caught up with the owl. For some reason, he coaxed it to the ground, where he took it's letter. He opened it.  
  
Dear Mother, it started. He didn't stop there, just in case.  
  
Dear Mother,  
  
I hope you and father are alright. I will get Potter for this, I promise. I want you out of Azkaban, any way I can get you out. I'm getting help from an old 'friend,' like I told you before. I will come and visit you as soon as school ends.  
  
-Draco  
  
Harry grinned. Perfect, he thought. This was exactly what they needed. There was only one problem. He couldn't take it to Dumbledore or the Ministry, because they would get mad at him for stealing someone's mail.  
  
It was worthless.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Potter4prez: All of your questions will be answered in time, don't worry. . . I don't like not writing cliff hangers because I find the end is always so blah.  
  
Wuzup13579: that is so true. But you still need it.  
  
Xavier II: It wasn't that she took advantage of his help, it was that he was getting paid for it, and he was her co-worker, he was being paid to help her.  
  
Indigal: You'll just have to wait, now won't you? And besides, I answer that at the beginning of this chapter.  
  
Happy reading!  
  
-unolimbo 


	17. Freedom and imprisonment

Harry walked back to the common room. He had to find a way to expose Malfoy. Reading his mail was useless.  
  
"Anything new?" Ron asked.  
  
Harry sighed. "He sent a letter."  
  
Hermione looked up from her book. "And?"  
  
Harry shook his head. "It was exactly what we needed, but we can't use it. He wrote to his mother, saying that he would get his parents out of Azkaban, and that he was getting help from 'an old friend.' I think he means Wormtail. But we can't tell people that we read his mail, so its useless."  
  
Ron frowned. "So there's nothing we can do?"  
  
Harry shook his head. "He said in his letter that he would visit her after school ended. I think that may be when he gets her out. Now we just need to figure out how."  
  
Hermione nodded. "Is it even possible?"  
  
Harry shrugged. "How would I know?"  
  
He sat down and pulled out his books. He sat silently, studying, for what seemed like hours. Finally, Harry decided to go to bed. He looked at his watch. It was almost midnight, and Harry could barely keep his eyes open. He went upstairs and fell asleep instantly.  
  
Harry found himself walking down a hallway. It was dark and dusty, and smelled like it had never had fresh air in it. there were bars lining the hall. Harry looked to his left, and there was a door of bars. He tried it, but it didn't open. Someone laughed from the other side. Harry tried a door on the other side of the hall. The same thing, but a two people laughing behind it. he continued to the end of the hall, trying doors on both sides until he reached the end. Just as he reached for the handle, Sirius came and leaned on the bars.  
  
"It's not use, Harry. We can't get out. That's the whole point." He looked dark and sullen, and he backed into the shadows.  
  
Harry started to panic. "Can someone let me out?" he noticed a door he hadn't tried on the other end. He reached for it.  
  
"You can't leave us here like this, Harry." Sirius' voice came from the other end of the hall. More voices came, and faces emerged at the doors. "Don't leave us here! You've let us down!" they said. Harry pulled the door open and ran out. He squinted in the light, and when his eyes focused, the Minister of Magic was standing in front of him.  
  
"Did you get anything from it?" He asked. Harry shook his head. "We were counting on you, Harry. You've let us down!" He shook his head with pity, and walked away.  
  
~  
  
Harry's eyes jerked open. He sat up and rubbed his eyes. It was early, but Harry knew he couldn't get back to sleep. He got dressed and went down to the common room to study, but could not concentrate. He knew what that dream had meant, but what could he do about it? he wouldn't be able to solve everything at once. But now he knew what he needed to do first. He had to get Sirius off. Without Sirius, Harry would not be able to get anywhere.  
  
He took out a piece of parchment and started writing. Thoughts, ideas, anything. He wrote for almost an hour and a half. By the time Hermione and Ron had ventured downstairs, Harry had a plan.  
  
"So what do you plan to do?" Ron asked when Harry told them he had to get Sirius out.  
  
"It might take a while, but I definitely think it can work." Harry said. "Everyone thinks that Sirius was is Death Eater, right?"  
  
Ron nodded, and Hermione looked on skeptically.  
  
"Well, all the Death Eaters have the tattoos on their arms! Sirius doesn't!"  
  
Hermione sighed. "Not all of them do. Only the higher ranked ones. And besides, he could take it off. Tattoos are removable."  
  
Harry shook his head. "But everyone thought Sirius was his right hand man! Of course he would have the tattoo! And he couldn't take it off. Snape couldn't get his off. All of the old Death Eaters would have tried to get it off!"  
  
Hermione shook her head. "I don't think it is enough."  
  
"If we can get them to give him Veritaserum, he can tell them exactly what happened. He can't lie with it."  
  
Ron sighed. "I think it's useless, Harry."  
  
"Not it's not!" Harry said. He could feel his face heating up with anger.  
  
"Harry, don't get angry at us. It's not our fault. I think that if you want to prove that Sirius is innocent, you need Wormtail."  
  
Harry smiled. "Fine."  
  
They looked at him. "Harry, mate, are you alright?" Ron asked.  
  
Harry kept smiling. "I said fine. All this means is that I have a new first job. I need to find Wormtail."  
  
Hermione almost laughed. "Harry, you have no idea where he is! How on earth do you expect to find him?"  
  
Harry shrugged. "I've just got to wait. It's been a while since the last attack. I don't think it was Malfoy both times. He would not have been able to attack me like I was attacked the first time. I think it was Wormtail. And I think that the reason that I haven't been attacked again is because Malfoy can't do it. he didn't even hurt me when he tried, but when Wormtail tried, I was unconscious for two weeks. They know now that it should be Wormtail attacking me.  
  
"I think it's just that he hasn't been able to get here. When he does get here, he'll attack me. But he won't hurt me this time. This time, we'll be ready for him. And we'll catch him."  
  
Hermione smiled weakly. "Harry, you are completely insane."  
  
He grinned. "Darn right I am."  
  
"So how do you expect to catch him?" Ron asked, as they walked down to the Great Hall for breakfast.  
  
"By being alert and ready for him at all times. I'm going to try to be in large groups most of the time. Not to keep me safe, but to make it so that he has very few chances to attack me. That means that I will know when he is going to attack me. I can be ready for him whenever I am alone."  
  
Hermione took out her book as soon as they sat down. "this is certainly not guaranteed." She muttered.  
  
Harry shrugged. "Nothing I ever do is guaranteed."  
  
* * * * *  
  
Nothing happened for the rest of the week. Than nothing happened for the rest of the month. It was already April, and Harry was starting to get discouraged. But he wasn't giving up. He was still alert at all times. He spent most of his time studying in the common room, because it was the only place that he could be alone and still focus on his studying.  
  
Exam preparations were getting even harder. Harry barely had time for Quiddich anymore, he rarely made it to more than one practice a week. Luckily, Ginny agreed to take over for him when he wasn't there.  
  
"Keep your broom steady, don't swerve so much when you don't need to!" Harry called to Katie. "Watch the ball, Ron! Look where you're going, Dent! I don't want you to hit someone!"  
  
He watched them play. They were really good.  
  
"Okay, it's time to go inside!" Harry called out. Everyone flew in. Someone grabbed the bludgers, and the balls were put into the box. Harry noticed something run across the sideline as he closed the box. He stood up and leaned towards Ron. "He's here. Keep a watch on me, but don't let him see you."  
  
Ron nodded and walked back with the rest of the team while Harry put the ball box in the shed. He gripped his wand as he turned around. There was no one there. He took a deep breath and walked quickly towards the school. He could hear Wormtail behind him, but he didn't turn around. If Harry hadn't known Wormtail was behind him, he would not have noticed the sound, and then he would be in trouble. Just when he thought that Wormtail was getting sufficiently close, he spun quickly around and produced the full body bind spell.  
  
It worked. Wormtail was behind him. And he couldn't move. Harry hadn't expected it to be nearly that easy. He had thought that Wormtail would attack him first, that there would be a big fight.  
  
He leaned down to where Wormtail was lying, looking petrified. "Well, Mr. Pettigrew, it seems I overestimated you." He said, while Ron ran up to them.  
  
"I told Ginny to go get Dumbledore." He said. Harry nodded.  
  
As if on cue, Dumbledore came striding out of the school. He looked down at Wormtail, frowning. He then looked up at Harry. Harry expected him to smile, congratulate him, something of the sort.  
  
He didn't. He frowned. "That was very reckless, Harry. You should have told a teacher that you expected to be attacked again." He paused. "Although, if you had, you would most likely not have caught him, so I supposed that it is alright."  
  
Harry smiled. "Thank you, Professor."  
  
"I have alerted the Minister, he should be arriving shortly. You may come to my office, both of you. And you might want to get Miss Granger."  
  
Harry nodded, and he and Ron went up to the Gryffindor common room. "Hermione!" Ron called when he got in. A few people, mostly the fifth and seventh years, looked at him angrily. "Hermione! We got him! Come on!"  
  
Hermione's eyes widened, and she followed them to his office. "What do you mean, you got him?" She asked as they ran.  
  
Harry grinned. "You'll see."  
  
"Come in." Dumbledore's voice carried through the door. Harry opened it, and the three of them walked in. The Minister was there, as were two Ministry guards and Wormtail, still in his full body bind.  
  
"So it is true, then." The minister said, pacing the room.  
  
Dumbledore nodded. "You didn't believe them. They were telling the truth. Professor Snape," he motioned to Snape, whom Harry had not noticed was sitting in the corner. "has kindly brought along some Veritaserum, which we shall now give to Mr. Pettigrew here."  
  
Pettigrew's eyes were darting from person to person. He was looking for someone to help him. He avoided looking at Harry completely.  
  
Snape pried open his mouth and poured in a few drops of the potion.  
  
Half an hour later, he had told them everything.  
  
The minister stared at him, wide eyed. "This means. . . that means. . . oh my goodness! I feel so silly!"  
  
"I believe an apology is in order for Mr. Black."  
  
Fudge shook his head. "But Mr. Potter said he was dead!"  
  
Dumbledore smiled. "He was, but things have changed. He is alive again."  
  
Fudge got rather red in the face, and said, "That is preposterous! I cannot believe that such a thing is possible!"  
  
Dumbledore smiled. "Than we shall tell you that we were mistaken, and he has been alive the entire time."  
  
Fudge frowned. "Fine, fine. If you bring him in, we will give him the Veritaserum, just to check."  
  
Dumbledore nodded. "One moment. Minister, I will have to ask you to leave the room for a moment." Fudge, looking confused, nodded and walked out the door, the two guards taking Wormtail and following.  
  
Dumbledore then took a handful of Floo powder from a pot by the fire , and threw it in. "Twelve Grimmauld Place." He said, and stuck his head in the fire. "Good evening, Sirius. Do you think you could come over here for a moment?"  
  
He pulled his head out, and a moment later, Sirius came out of the fire. "Hello," he said. "what can I do you for?" He smiled.  
  
Dumbledore opened the door, and Fudge came back in. Sirius blanched. "No. . ." he said. Then, of course, the guards brought Wormtail in, and Sirius frowned. "What's going on?"  
  
Fudge looked quite nervous in front of Sirius. He obviously still didn't believe that Sirius was innocent. "We would like to give you Veritaserum, Mr. Black. Just to make sure that Mr. Pettigrew's story checks out."  
  
Sirius nodded. They gave him the Veritaserum, and he told them the exact same story Wormtail had. Harry could not stop grinning the entire time.  
  
"Well, Minister, I think everything is in order, is it not?" Dumbledore asked.  
  
Fudge, still looking slightly confused, nodded. "Very well. Mr. Pettigrew will be taken straight to Azkaban, where he will serve a life sentence, under high security. Mr. Black, you are officially a free man."  
  
Sirius stood up and shook his hand. "Thank you, sir."  
  
Fudge smiled weakly. "I suppose I should be telling the Prophet about this."  
  
Dumbledore nodded. "I suppose you should."  
  
Fudge nodded, and he, the two guards, and Pettigrew went into the fireplace. A flash, and they were gone.  
  
"Sirius, if you would like to stay here as a guest for tonight, you are welcome to. You might want a change of scenery tomorrow from your house."  
  
Sirius nodded. "Thank you, Professor Dumbledore. I would be delighted."  
  
Harry was very happy that not only was the next day a Saturday, but it was their second last Hogsmeade trip.  
  
"This is going to be great!" Harry said.  
  
Sirius smiled. "We have done things before Harry. And it's not like you don't get outside."  
  
Harry grinned. "No, but the fact that you are off the hook won't be in the papers until Monday. That means that everyone is going to be really funny."  
  
Ron laughed. "It's true. When ever anyone finds out, only a few people have, they get all weird."  
  
Hermione rolled her eyes. "This just means that people are going to be attacking him."  
  
Sirius grinned. "I can take care of myself, Hermione."  
  
Hermione smiled. "Of course you can."  
  
They walked out of Sirius' room and out to the gate. Harry was right; people did stare, and they got a few screams out of the girls.  
  
They walked through the town that morning, going into the candy store and the Three Broomsticks. When they sat down in the Three Broomsticks, Madam Rosemerta (A/N I think that's her name) refused to serve them, until Harry explained that Sirius had been pardoned. But they still had fun.  
  
Harry went to sleep that night smiling. He was so much closer to finishing everything. Sirius was free, that was his first goal. And Wormtail was captured, that was his second. Now all he had left to do was expose Malfoy. Other than the people in jail, Malfoy and his friends were the only people who were still a threat to Harry. If he could get them out of his life and into Azkaban, he would be free. Free of the bad things that always happened to him.  
  
Free of why Cho left.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
there was chapter 17. I hope you liked it, and I hope you all got the hints. They were fairly obvious. I can't believe I got all the way to chapter 17! I am so proud. This is my longest chapter yet! I'm sorry if it is sort of vague, I wrote it while I was very, very sleepy.  
  
Ugh, this is so annoying. My internet connection doesn't work. It is so slow that I am going to write back to all my reviewers in my next chapter.  
  
Sorry!  
  
-unolimbo 


	18. Search and rescue

Everyone avoided them on Sunday. Hermione didn't notice it too much, and Ron thought it was strange, but Harry liked it. No one would go near them, because they were completely terrified of Sirius.  
  
The Daily Prophet came out on Monday. The headline was exactly what they were expecting.  
  
BLACK OFF THE HOOK Innocent after all, Minister says  
  
Hermione scanned over the article, but said that there wasn't much that they didn't already know. A few curious students came up to ask Harry about it. was he really Harry's godfather, had he really lived with him for a summer? Had he really known Sirius was innocent all along?  
  
Ron enjoyed that. People asked him questions too, after he mentioned that he lived with Sirius too, and he had believed in Sirius all along as well. His lies got worse and worse, Hermione said.  
  
"It's quite silly, really." Hermione said one day, after Sirius had gone back to Grimmauld Place, as Ron retold the story of being dragged under the Whomping Willow by Sirius, adding in something about fighting for his life, and a dragon. "He's making no sense whatsoever, and he's making us look stupid, too."  
  
Harry was rereading his History of Magic notes, for the third time. He shrugged. "So talk to him."  
  
She sighed. "You're Head Boy, you know, you're supposed to take care of this sort of thing."  
  
"You're Head Girl, you know, you're supposed to take care of this sort of thing." He chuckled softly as Hermione slammed her book shut and stood up in a huff.  
  
Harry almost felt sad for Ron, sending Hermione at him when she was all riled up. But it was just too funny. He put down his book and watched.  
  
"Ron Weasley! You are making up fictitious stories, that no troll in his right mind would believe! You are making yourself look silly, cease and desist this instant!" She yelled.  
  
Ron shrunk back a bit. "Err- but the kids want to know what happened."  
  
Hermione leaned right into his face, and hissed, "So tell them." She turned on her hell, and marched back to her book, which she looked up from every few minutes to glare at Ron.  
  
He sat down beside Harry. "Thanks for the help, mate."  
  
Harry shrugged. "In danger of sounding like Hermione, you deserved it." Hermione glared at Harry this time.  
  
People stopped asking them questions after a few days. Surprisingly, except for a few farfetched tales set out by Ron, people got their stories remarkably straight. There were a few dragons involved in one branch of it, but really, it was hard to get stranger than what had happened in Harry's third year.  
  
He got a letter that night. His heart skipped a beat when he saw the way his name had been written.  
  
It was Cho's writing. He ripped open the letter.  
  
Harry, it read. No dear. He scanned over it; it was only a few lines.  
  
I would like to apologize for being so rude to you while I was at Hogwarts over Christmas. Don't try to tell me that you forgive me, or that you don't, that's not the point.  
  
-Cho  
  
Harry sat down. It wasn't as bad as it looked, but it wasn't as good, either. She apologized, but she also kept with the goal of never talking to him again. It bothered Harry somewhat, the fact that Cho insisted on being rude to him, and that she insisted he never contact her, but she felt it perfectly fine to contact him whenever she pleased. Harry wished she would just figure it out. It can't work only one way.  
  
He felt his face heat up with anger, and he crumpled the letter up and threw it out.  
  
* * * * *  
  
All too soon, it was exam time. Harry could not understand how it had happened so soon, but he was ready. He had been studying since almost February, and he had been reviewing since Christmas.  
  
He went into his first written exam nervous, but confident. He came out a lot less confident. He had known the Potions exam would be hard, but it still hit him like a ton of bricks. He was sure he had forgotten a step in the Polyjuice potion question, and he could not for the life of him remember the last step in Veritaserum, but he was sure he got the ingredients perfectly. He and Ron spent the lunch hour going over their potions one more time before their practical examination.  
  
Harry was happy with his performance. He got his strengthening solution perfectly, and the three steps that they could perform of the Veritaserum turned out pretty well.  
  
The rest of the week progressed in basically the same way, and Harry finished his exams confident that he had done very well. Ron looked a little frazzled, and Hermione was frantic.  
  
"I think I got the third question wrong in the History of Magic exam! And I accidentally misplaced Orion on the Astronomy. Harry, what if I fail?" She gasped.  
  
Harry sighed. "Hermione, shut up. You did fine."  
  
She glared at him and shut up.  
  
Ministry officials came to the school after exams, for the graduation. There were quite a few of them. The Minister was there, as well as Cho, and a few of the Wizengamot. Harry had never realized that so many important people came to graduation, and he chose to avoid them all. He did his best to never even see them. Then he found out that the Minister and the Wizengamot did not usually come to graduation, but they had come to see Harry. It made him feel certainly uncomfortable. It was Ministry Assistant's job to be there every year anyway.  
  
Harry was glad to be done with exams. He realized that he never had to write another Hogwarts exam, but he felt a pang when he realized that he was done. It was over. He would go home in a week, and then he would never come back. It felt strange, growing up. Leaving all the places he had spent such a long time. He was leaving Hogwarts, and he would be leaving the Dursley's as soon as he could find somewhere to live. He had to decide what he wanted to do. Did he want to be an Auror, like he had always said, or did he want to keep teaching at Hogwarts, like so many people said he should? He probably would have a good place at the Ministry, if he wanted it. He had so many choices.  
  
"So what are you guys planning on doing?" He asked. He wanted to be sure that he wasn't the only person who had no idea what the hell he was going to do with his life.  
  
Hermione sat up. "I'm not completely sure. I was thinking maybe going into healing."  
  
Ron sighed. "I have absolutely no idea." He put his head back on the back of his chair. "I want to be an Auror, but I could probably get a job at Fred and George's shop, it's getting so big."  
  
Hermione gave a smothered laugh. Ron lifted his head. "What's so funny?" He demanded.  
  
Hermione glanced at Harry, looking nervous. "Nothing, it's just. . . do you really think you could be an Auror? I mean, as of before the exams, you don't really have the marks for it."  
  
Ron frowned. "Fine, Hermione. Thank you for the moral support, and thank you for being such a good friend."  
  
Hermione sighed. "I'm sorry, Ron. It's not that I don't think you would be good at the job, it's that I don't think you would be able to get in. It's your marks, that's all. You have the skill, you just don't have the grades."  
  
Ron sighed, avoiding Hermione's eyes. "Fine."  
  
Harry looked from one of them to the other, and shook his head, laughing. "Ron, you will do fine. Don't worry. Now, I have to go write to Sirius." He stood up. That was another thing that felt strange. He could say Sirius' name out loud, and nothing would happen.  
  
Dear Sirius:  
  
I think I did pretty well on my exams. I studied really hard this year, and I think it paid off.  
  
Have you done what you said you were going to do? You came back because you weren't done. But now your name is cleared, and Wormtail was captured, so what happens next? I don't even know if you can answer these questions, but please try.  
  
-Harry  
  
He walked to the Owlry to send his letter. It was about fifteen minutes to curfew, but as Head Boy, he was allowed out after curfew. In fact, he was on duty a few times a week, patrolling the corridors. He was never alone, though, because Snape and Filch were convinced that he was causing mayhem, so one of them would follow him around at all times.  
  
He stepped into the cool, dark tower. Owl pellets crunched under his feet, and the smell of droppings rose up strongly from the floor.  
  
"Hedwig." He called out. The moon was the only light, and with the roof over head, he couldn't see the difference between any of the owls.  
  
"Hedwig." He called out again. He heard a small hoot from the far corner of the Owlry. He made his way over to her.  
  
"Hedwig, why couldn't you perch near the door?" He scratched her on the head, and she hooted again. She pushed his hand toward the window, hooting even more.  
  
Harry looked down at the grounds. There was nothing there. "What's wrong, Hedwig?" He asked. She kept pushing his hand toward the window. She flicked it up with her left wing, causing his hand to point to the ceiling. She hooted angrily.  
  
"What's up there?" Harry asked quietly. He listened carefully, and he could hear something. People were up there. And they weren't happy.  
  
Harry stepped up on the window ledge, and grabbed hold of a beam on the ceiling. He couldn't change into a phoenix, he would be too bright. He swung his legs up and wrapped them around another beam. He swung himself again, and grabbed onto a stone outside. He brought his left leg around, and then his right. He was now facing the wall, vertically. He scaled the wall quickly, and was soon at the tower. He could hear the voices very easily now.  
  
He looked down, and almost gasped. He had forgotten how high this tower was, and how often people used it. There were no classes there, because it was open, and really just a roof. It was also part of the Owlry, and thus covered in owl droppings. Harry felt a little woozy, clinging to the wall. His hands got a little sweaty, but he was alright. He climbed a little bit higher, just high enough to see who was up there. Again, he almost gasped.  
  
At least twenty Death Eaters were convened. And not all of them were part of the new generation they had learned about. Harry didn't know how they got out of Azkaban, but he didn't have time to think about it. The Malfoys, Crabbe and Goyle, Juniors and Seniors, as well as a few others that Harry knew they had not gathered from Hogwarts were there. Death Eaters from all over England. Not only that, Harry could see a few people sitting in a clump on the other side of the tower. They were tied up.  
  
Harry ducked back down and took a deep breath. His hands were starting to seize up, but he ignored it and listened to every word.  
  
"So what are we doing here?" Someone asked. Harry almost grinned. This would make life easier.  
  
"Shut up, Crabbe." He heard Malfoy say. "We are here to get rid of a few people. People who opposed our Lord. He may be gone, but we can still show our loyalty to him. We can kill the ones who opposed him. Tonight, we are going to get a few. Professor Dumbledore. The greatest wizard in the world, some call him. I don't believe it. We can get him. Potter, of course. Who can forget the amazing Potter. He may have had a prophecy with the Dark Lord, but not with us. We can kill him. Like that." He snapped. "The Minister, if he shows up. I just don't like him. We're not going to go looking him, but if he shows up, we might as well."  
  
A few people chuckled. "So what are they for?" Someone asked. Harry assumed they meant the people tied up.  
  
"They are going to bring Dumbledore to us. We picked up any students we found in the halls. We only had a few, we couldn't be running around too much." Harry didn't know who was talking.  
  
"It seems that the Minister will be paying us a visit as well. We have come across one of his 'officials.'" That was Malfoy again. And he knew who they had. Cho was in that group of hostages.  
  
He risked another peek over the wall. He was looking at the hostages this time. Cho was there, as well as two third years from Hufflepuff, a fifth year from Ravenclaw, and a fifth year from Gryffindor.  
  
Harry ducked back down again. He had a picture in his head of where every body was. He made sure his feet and left hand were secure, and reached into his pocket for his wand. Now he was ready. He peeked up again. They were still looking at the hostages that were sitting in the corner, and Harry saw his chance. He climbed as quickly as he could, and jumped onto the tower.  
  
A few Death Eaters spun around. Malfoy stepped forward. "Potter! How nice of you to join us. We knew you would, anyway."  
  
Harry gripped his wand tightly with his right hand. "What happened to the masks, Malfoy? Are you just trying to get captured?"  
  
Malfoy's grin flickered slightly. "Whatever you say, Potter. But I think we will get rid of you before Dumbledore figures anything out. I really don't want to bother dealing with both of you at once.  
  
Harry smiled. "That's alright. You will be in no shape to fight by the time Dumbledore gets here."  
  
Malfoy got very red in the face, and, to Harry's surprise, stepped to the side. All of the other Death Eaters parted as well.  
  
"You know what, Potter?" Lucius Malfoy said, gripping Cho by the arm and pulling her up, "I don't think killing you is enough. I think you need to suffer even more. Let's see. . . we can't do parents, we've already killed them. We can't do Black, we killed him too." Harry almost laughed. Obviously, none of them read the Prophet anymore. "I do know that you two aren't 'involved' anymore, but I do know that this would still hurt. So I'm going to let her go, and I'm going to let you watch."  
  
Cho looked at him frantically. Her eyes were wide, and though she wasn't tied up, she wasn't making any attempts to escape, or even to say anything. She was just looking at him, pleading. Harry looked at her, and he knew that Mr. Malfoy was right. It would hurt. He looked at her, and he knew it would hurt.  
  
But not because she was Cho. Because she was a person. It had hurt when he thought Ginny had died. It hurt when he watched Cedric die. It hurt when he saw Sirius die. It hurt to see hundreds of wizards dying to help him. No matter who it was, it still hurt. And Harry didn't want to feel that again.  
  
"I won't let you kill her." He said.  
  
Mr. Malfoy sighed. "Fine. I won't kill her." Harry didn't move. He was doing something. "But the fall definitely will." Before Harry could react, he had pushed Cho over the side of the tower.  
  
"And now it's your turn, Potter!" Draco Malfoy said, but Harry wasn't listening. He sprinted towards the wall that Lucius was standing at and threw himself over.  
  
He hoped to god that it would work. He thought about becoming a phoenix. He heard the song ringing in his ears, he felt the feathers, itching under his skin, longing to spring out and let the world see them. He felt his spine shrink and curve. He felt his hands disappear, and his toes be replaced with claws. He felt his face elongate into a beak, the most painful part. He was a phoenix again.  
  
He dove straight down towards the ground. He curled his wings under, to make himself go faster. He could see Cho beneath him. Her arms and legs were straight out, meaning that Harry could catch up quickly. He was almost there. His claws were almost at her robe, he could feel her underneath him, but he couldn't get a grip. The ground was getting closer and closer. Finally, he wrapped his long claws around her robes and pulled out his wings. He flapped as hard as he could. They slowly pulled out of their dive, but they were still going towards the ground. Harry slowed down enough to drop Cho on the ground without hurting her. He put her down on the grass. Before she could say anything, he flew back up to the tower.  
  
He turned back into himself as he landed. Both the Malfoy's looked at him, very white in the face. "Very nice, Potter." Lucius said. "You saved her. But you didn't save yourself."  
  
"He doesn't need to save himself." A voice came from the doorway. A blinding flash of light came out, and Harry found himself the only one still standing.  
  
Dumbledore stepped out. "For now, he has quite a few people behind him." He smiled, and Harry saw Sirius, Professor Lupin, Professor McGonagall, a few of the Wizengamot, and a few of the other teachers.  
  
""I'm sorry Harry." Dumbledore said. "It seems that your rescue was not that exciting this year."  
  
Harry walked over to the side of the tower and looked over. Cho was still sitting on the grass. "I don't know, I think it was pretty good."  
  
Dumbledore chuckled. "I think you should go to bed now, Harry."  
  
Harry nodded and went downstairs. But he took a slight detour before he went back to bed. He walked out to the lawn, where Cho was sitting, cross legged, facing the water.  
  
"Hey." Harry said, stopping a few metres away from her, his fists jammed in his pockets.  
  
"Hey." Cho said. She didn't move at all.  
  
"Are you alright?" He moved a little closer.  
  
She nodded slowly. "It was strange. I felt him push me and I thought, Harry will catch me before I fall. But I fell. I fell and I fell, and you didn't come. I thought that you weren't going to at all. I thought you were going to leave me to die. I had been so mean to you, pushing you away, that I thought you wouldn't care anymore. But you did. Thank you." She said quietly.  
  
Harry sat down beside her. She still didn't move her gaze. "Don't worry about it. I wouldn't leave you there, even if I had no idea who you were."  
  
She continued to stare out at the water. She smiled. "Thank you. You're very skilled at making one feel insignificant."  
  
Harry laughed. "It's my greatest achievement."  
  
They sat in silence for a moment. Cho kept staring at the moon's reflection on the water. Harry did as well. It was hypnotic. There was a small breeze, with almost no effect on the water. But the light sparkled in the occasional ripple, and it was beautiful.  
  
"I'm sorry." Cho whispered. Harry barely heard it, and thought he had imagined it, until Cho kept talking.  
  
"I tried to push you away so that it would hurt less. I thought that if I got you to think that there was nothing left inside of me, you would leave me alone. But it hurt so much more. I could see it. I could see that I was hurting your feelings. I was just being cruel. That would have hurt anyone. I'm sorry."  
  
Harry nodded slowly. "I get it. That's fine." He stood up. It made him feel much better. Almost complete. He stood up. "Well, I'll see you around. Maybe we can hang out some time, now that you don't hate me, and stuff."  
  
Cho looked at him, for the first time. "Is that it?"  
  
Harry looked at her, puzzled. "What else would there be?"  
  
Cho stood up. "I don't know, I thought that if you forgave me, we could. . ." She looked down.  
  
Harry put his hands back in his pockets. "Sorry, Cho. I'm not really looking for romance right now. This isn't what I want anymore. Bye."  
  
He turned and walked up the hill to the front door. "Harry!" He turned around. "Why are you doing this?" Cho asked.  
  
Harry shrugged. "You did it to me."  
  
Cho sighed. "Please don't tell me this is about revenge."  
  
Harry shook his head fiercely. "No. this is about how you were cruel to me for nine months, and you wouldn't acknowledge my existence, and now, you just decide you want me back. Like I'm here waiting for you, and when you get bored of being alone, you always have a backup plan. What's the point?"  
  
He turned away from her, and walked back up the hill, much more quickly this time. He didn't slow or look back until he was at the common room.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Indigal: It is so not fishy! It's true. Look at WWI: After the war, came the soldiers coming home and finding they had no jobs. The economic boom leading to the Great Depression. Nothing is ever perfect, just because the leader is dead.  
  
Potter4prez: I'm sorry, I have enough trouble coming up with my own stories. And besides, I hate Draco/Hermione stories. I am a firm believer that that is not the order of things. Sorry. No offence meant, really. What was your unanswered question? Was it something I was supposed to answer? Cuz I'm sorry if I didn't.  
  
Wytil: I can't even have the normal DSL, because there is no jack in my room, so I must use wireless, which is connected to my dad's computer downstairs.  
  
Groovycat66: I bet this is making your intestines swirl! Wow, visual. . . but I still bet it pisses you off.  
  
Wuzup13579: patience is a virtue.  
  
Xavier II: I will, and I did!  
  
Ophelia-waterhouse: I don't even want to know what you are talking about.  
  
-unolimbo 


	19. The end of it all

"Harry?" Someone said behind him. He turned around. Sirius was standing there. "I thought you went to bed." He said.  
  
Harry shook his head. "On my way now."  
  
Sirius nodded.  
  
"So, what's happening with all of them?" Harry asked.  
  
Sirius smiled weakly. "They're going to Azkaban. Err- back to Azkaban. As well as the new ones. As far as we know, there is absolutely no one left." He patted Harry on the shoulder. "You're done, Harry. I think he's gone for good."  
  
Harry grinned. "I think he's gone." He said. "But I'm not done. I'm never done."  
  
* * * * *  
  
Gryffindor won the Quiddich Cup again. It was a fairly easy win, nothing too exciting. It depressed Harry slightly, knowing that that was his last game, and he hadn't even had a challenge.  
  
The last week passed quickly, too quickly. Harry was sure it was because he knew it was his last week at Hogwarts. Before he knew it, it was their graduation. All of the seventh years were gathered in the small room off of the Great Hall. The younger students were either outside or in their common rooms. The parents were in the Great Hall. A lot of the other students were nervous, but it didn't bother Harry at all. He wasn't worried about what anyone thought, because he didn't have to impress his parents. It was just Sirius and the Weasleys.  
  
Graduation passed slowly. It was crowded, hot, and still. The humidity pushed down on Harry's head and made him sweat even more.  
  
Finally, it was over, and Harry was allowed to go outside. He wandered around on his own a bit, because Ron and Hermione were with their parents. He didn't know where Sirius was.  
  
He made his way over to the Quiddich pitch after a while. He walked out to the centre of it, looking around. It always calmed him down. It was almost as hot outside. The air was still with only a slight breeze every once in a while. The sun beat down on his head, and Harry could feel it burning his scalp.  
  
He walked into the shade of the stands. He lay down on a bench and closed his eyes. He would have fallen asleep, had it not been so bright out.  
  
"Hello, Harry." Someone said.  
  
Harry opened his eyes. Cho was looking at him. "Hey, Cho." He said. He closed his eyes again.  
  
"So, Harry. . . how does it feel to have graduated?"  
  
He shrugged. "Not much different. It's a little depressing, I guess. I mean, I don't know what I'm going to do with my life yet. I want to be and Auror, but I still need somewhere to live, some way to get money before I actually get the job."  
  
Cho smiled. "I know what you mean. It wasn't that bad, when I was living at Grimmauld Place, but I had to find somewhere to live. That was hard. I've got an ugly little apartment in London now."  
  
Harry laughed. "Don't worry, I'm going to go through the same struggle as you."  
  
"What about Grimmauld Place? You can live there."  
  
"Yeah, I could, but I think I'd like to figure out my own place. My own life."  
  
Cho nodded, but Harry didn't see it.  
  
"Harry. . ." She paused. "Do you think, maybe. . ." She stopped.  
  
Harry sat up. "What?"  
  
Cho shrugged. "I know you already said, but-"She paused again, looking uncomfortable.  
  
Harry sighed. "Cho, we already talked about this."  
  
"I know! It's just, we didn't break up because we didn't love each other anymore. I broke up with you because I loved you too much! I have the whole time, you know that. Surely you can't forget any of that."  
  
Harry put his head in his hands. She just didn't get it. he had already answered this. But- she was right. He hadn't forgotten any of it. Not one moment of it.  
  
He sat up straight. "Cho, I don't know about this. I need some time to think, okay?"  
  
She nodded slowly, looking at the ground.  
  
"I'll talk to you later, Cho." Harry said, sliding off the bleacher.  
  
Cho didn't say anything.  
  
Harry walked back up to the dorm and sat down on his bed. He still needed to pack. He was leaving the next morning, and he hadn't packed anything yet. He threw some socks and pyjamas, just to make himself feel like he had done something.  
  
He thought about what Cho had said. It was true. The entire time, he had missed her. He had wanted her back. But he realized that he didn't need her anymore. Maybe he didn't need her. Or maybe he had just convinced himself he didn't. Or maybe, he just wanted her. Otherwise, why would he have hesitated in saying no? Why did he have to think about it?  
  
He stood up. This was stupid. He knew he still wanted her. It was just that his ego would be hurt. It was stupid. He did want her, he just wouldn't admit it. He decided to bite the bullet. If he didn't say what he wanted, he would never get it.  
  
He walked down stairs to find Cho. He couldn't find her anywhere. He saw Lupin walking down the hall. "Professor!" He called out. "Have you seen Cho?"  
  
Lupin nodded his head. "She went back home a little while ago. I'm sure you can get a hold of her when you get back to London, Harry."  
  
Harry nodded. "Thanks."  
  
He walked back to the dorm room. Everything felt so repetitive! He decided that he really needed to pack, so he went back to his room to finish.  
  
An hour and a half later, he was ready. He walked back down to the common room, where he found Ron and Hermione. "Your parents leave?"  
  
Hermione nodded. "They were a little wierded out, I think."  
  
Ron grinned. "Mom and Dad went home almost an hour and a half ago. There was a train, you know. Because there's no other way out. So everyone left at the same time."  
  
Harry nodded. "Cool." He paused. "I talked to Cho." He said.  
  
Hermione didn't move. She didn't even raise an eyebrow. "And?"  
  
Harry shrugged. "In the end, nothing happened. But I think she wanted it to."  
  
Ron sat up. "Did you?"  
  
Harry shrugged again. "I did, but by the time I decided to get back to her, she had gone home. I guess I'll talk to her this summer."  
  
Hermione gave him a pitying look. "I'm sorry, Harry."  
  
He smiled. "It's no big deal, Herm. I can talk to her later."  
  
She smiled. "Alright, Harry."  
  
He shook his head, chuckling. "You are never going to believe me, are you?"  
  
Ron shook his head. "She never believes anyone, Harry. She's too damn stubborn."  
  
Harry laughed. "Come on, let's go down to dinner. It's getting late. We need to be there for our last dinner!"  
  
"And our last win of the House Championship!" Ron said, jumping up. They ran down to the Great Hall, and were some of the last students to arrive.  
  
"Wonderful." Dumbledore said. "All of our students are here, we can begin." He smiled, and the three of them sat down quietly. "Today is the end of another year. I would like to congratulate all of the seventh years on completing their time at Hogwarts. And to everyone else, see you next year."  
  
Harry, to his surprise, actually felt tears well up as Dumbledore said it, and had a bit of trouble saying "hear, hear" with the rest of the school.  
  
"Now, as I'm sure you all know from the hourglasses, Gryffindor has won the House Cup this year. Congratulations."  
  
Everyone in Gryffindor cheered. Instinctively, Harry looked over at the Slytherin table, forgetting that Malfoy was no longer there. Harry knew he had been expelled, but he looked over anyway. The Slytherin table seemed so empty.  
  
"And so, I would like to say, for the last time this year, dig in and enjoy your dinner!"  
  
Everyone cheered, and food appeared on their plates. The Hall stayed fairly quiet as everybody ate. Harry wasn't particularly hungry, and he found himself picking at his food.  
  
"What's wrong, mate?" Ron asked, in between bites.  
  
Harry looked up. "Nothing." He said.  
  
Hermione rolled her eyes. "Of course something is wrong. This has to do with Cho, doesn't it? You're upset that she left, and you can't settle."  
  
Harry raised an eyebrow. "I'm just no very hungry, is all."  
  
Hermione scoffed. "Don't try it, Harry. We know you better than that."  
  
Ron nodded in agreement, and Harry decided it wasn't worth it to argue with them, so he went back to picking at his food.  
  
All of the seventh years were quiet, even after they finished eating. It felt so strange. They would go home for the last time tomorrow. About five of their peers had been kicked out of school, and people were scared. No one had any idea that they were Death Eaters. The students were scared about having interacted with them for seven years without noticing anything. They were afraid it meant they wouldn't notice anything, that it would affect them in the long run.  
  
Harry didn't really understand the problem.  
  
The seventh years were allowed to stay out late that night. A lot of them would have very little access to their friends outside of Hogwarts, so the teachers allowed them to spend the night in the Great Hall socializing until much later than usual.  
  
By three in the morning, Harry couldn't keep his eyes open. He had to go to bed. He said goodnight to all his friends, and stumbled all the way up to the his dormitory, falling asleep instantly.  
  
He woke up early the next morning. He looked out the window beside his bed. The sky was a pale pink, the colour of a new sunrise.  
  
Harry pulled on his robe and made sure he had all of his things. He did, so he closed his trunk and went downstairs. No one was there. Everyone was sleeping. Harry wandered around a bit, but didn't find a single person. It was sort of depressing, but he went back to the common room. He sat down in front of the fireplace. There was no fire; it was too warm out. But he imagined it, imagined that it was all the times that he would talk to Sirius, or the few that he talked to Cho.  
  
Cho. Maybe Hermione was right. He was upset that he hadn't talked to her. He was afraid that he wouldn't get to talk to her again in the summer. But he wasn't as upset as Hermione said. If it really mattered that much to him, he would seek her out.  
  
They rode in the prefect compartment. Since it was the end of the year, the prefects didn't need it, so they occupied it. It was bigger than the rest, so they were pretty comfortable. Parvati and Lavender came around at one point, as did Seamus, Dean, and Neville. Mostly, though, it was just the three of them. Harry enjoyed himself, but, like every other event in the last few weeks, he couldn't stop thinking that he would never do it again.  
  
When he stepped off the platform later that day, the Dursleys weren't there. He looked around, and he couldn't see any of them.  
  
"Ron, do you see my uncle?" Harry asked.  
  
Ron shook his head. "Nope."  
  
Harry sighed. People were starting to look at Hedwig.  
  
Hermione and Ron both left. Harry walked out to the front of the station and sat down on a bench. The Dursleys didn't come.  
  
All of the other students left. The Dursleys didn't come.  
  
Harry thought about apparating, but he knew that he couldn't do it in the middle of a train station in London. He would just have to wait for the Dursleys. Almost an hour later, it was starting to get late. Almost eight o'clock. Harry wanted to buy some food, but he had no muggle money, so he stayed on the bench. He wouldn't be able to explain why he had bronze knuts.  
  
By about nine o'clock, Harry was seriously considering going to the bathroom to apparate. He had been waiting for almost three hours! Just then, as he was about to go to the bathroom, he saw someone he recognized. Cho had just walked into the station.  
  
She walked up to him and smiled. "Hey, Harry. Need a hand?"  
  
He grinned. "Thanks." Cho took Hedwig's cage and a few loose things Harry had.  
  
"There's an apparition point just down the block from here. I didn't know about it for the longest time, but I was checking the records, and lo and behold, there it was."  
  
Harry nodded. He hadn't known about it either. There were points all over England, at least. They made it possible for people to apparate without any risk of muggle sightings, or hitting other people when they came in. Harry and Cho walked into the small building.  
  
"Err, Harry-" Cho said, "Where exactly do you want to go? The Dursleys obviously won't take you. Where to?"  
  
Harry shrugged. "I could go to Grimmauld Place. I've got a place there."  
  
Cho nodded, and they disapparated.  
  
They turned up in Harry's bedroom.  
  
"Well, Harry... I guess I'll see you around." She smiled.  
  
"Cho! Aren't you going to stay?" Harry asked.  
  
Cho shook her head. "No, I've got to get home. I have some work to do still."  
  
Harry nodded. "I'll talk to you later, then?"  
  
Cho nodded, and gave him a hug. "Bye, Harry." She waved as she disapparated.  
  
Harry sighed. He was home. He walked out of his room. The floor was empty. He walked downstairs, and he could hear people downstairs. He walked down, into the kitchen.  
  
Sirius looked up and saw him. "Harry?" He said, "What are you doing here?"  
  
Harry shrugged. "Nobody showed up at the station."  
  
Sirius glanced sideways at Lupin, who glanced down. "I'm sorry, Harry. I assumed your uncle would pick you up. It never occurred to me..."  
  
Harry grinned. "It's no big deal. I'm here. Personally, I'm happier having sat in a train station for a few hours than having to spend the entire summer with my relations."  
  
Sirius laughed. "It's good to have you back here, Harry."  
  
Lupin clapped him on the shoulder. "It sure is, Harry."  
  
He sat down.  
  
"So, Harry... what are you planning on doing now?" Sirius asked.  
  
Harry sighed. "Why is everyone asking me this?" He banged his head on the table. "I'm not sure yet. I guess I'll see if I can get a job at the Ministry for the summer, while I decide."  
  
Lupin smiled. "The minister certainly seems to like having you work for him."  
  
Harry grinned. "I think I might want to be an Auror."  
  
Lupin raised an eyebrow. "You sure about that?"  
  
Harry nodded. "Professor McGonagall said that she would do everything she could to make sure I got to my goal. It was because Umbridge was in the room, and she was getting very irritating."  
  
Sirius nodded. "You're very lucky. If anyone can get you it, it's McGonagall."  
  
Harry stood up. "I'm going to go to bed. I'll see you in the morning." Sirius and Lupin said good night, and he went upstairs.  
  
Harry lay down on his bed, staring at the ceiling. He would have to make a career for himself. Find his own place to live, find his own way of life.  
  
He would think about it in the morning.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Hey hey to all. I hope you enjoyed the chapter!  
  
Shannon K. M: Yeah. . . I was thinking the exact same thing. Everything happens so easily. Cho and Harry were getting back together way too easily in this chapter. Because of that, I'm stalling their relationship, sort of. In this chapter, it looked like they were back together, but it's complicated. I haven't decided how it is complicated, but I already know that it's not perfect.  
  
Wytil: I like that name! 'deathmunchers.' Very nice. I didn't explain it in the chapter (as far as I can remember) but I just thought that kids reported that their friends didn't come back to the dorm, or maybe a teacher or someone saw something. Doesn't really matter.  
  
Indigal: ooh yeah. Damn right he was interesting. Yes, it basically is the end of the Death Eaters. Even if there are any supporters left, they're basically just crazy people.  
  
Dragoon knight: yes. Yes it is. Well, sort of...It's more about just Harry now, but their relationship is the basis of the story. I think. I'm sorry, I don't know any more! GAH!!!  
  
Wuzup13579: very funny.  
  
Potter4prez: I guess I can. If I'm feeling really, really, REALLY nice. Kidding, I'll read it. I don't know why you really want me too.  
  
Thanks for reading, and I expect WAY more reviews!!!!! By the way, I'm almost at twenty chapters! Yay!  
  
-unolimbo 


	20. The second beginning

Harry spent the next little while searching for a place to live. He had some trouble finding a place that he liked. He wanted to live in Diagon Alley, but he found out very quickly that it was hard. While he still didn't have a job, he still couldn't afford anything there. He tried to get something nearby, but he still wanted to live in a wizarding area, and there were none nearby.  
  
He went downstairs one morning thinking he should just give up.  
  
"Morning Harry." Said Sirius.  
  
"I'm going to kill you and steal your house." Harry said, sitting down.  
  
Sirius raised an eyebrow. "I'm not sure that's entirely legal."  
  
Harry laughed. "I've been looking for a place to live, and I can't find anything I like!"  
  
Sirius laughed. "Harry, you've only been looking for a week. You don't need to worry about not finding a place to live. You should keep looking. Wizarding areas are all over London, I'm sure you can find one where you want to live- and that you can afford."  
  
Harry smiled. "Thanks. But I'm still going to kill you."  
  
Lupin laughed.  
  
Harry went out again that day. Nothing. No house, no pad, no loft. It was getting farther into the summer, and Harry knew that if he wanted a good place to live, he would have to get a job, or he wouldn't be able to keep it.  
  
He went to the Ministry to get a job. Really didn't get what he expected.  
  
"Hello, I would like to apply for a job." He said to the guard at the front desk. The guard took his wand for a moment, and then gave it back.  
  
"Go ahead. The applications office is on this floor, just down the hall. Room 117."  
  
Harry nodded. "Thanks."  
  
He walked down the hall and went into the room. A young witch was sitting behind a desk. "Good morning, sir. What are you applying for?"  
  
Harry thought about it. "I'm not really sure."  
  
The witch looked up and smiled. "Oh, Mr. Potter! I believe you have already had a job here, correct?"  
  
Harry nodded.  
  
"Alright..." She flipped through some papers. "Well, Mr. Potter, it seems that you did not have a proper title. The minister let you work with him and the Ministry Assistant, correct?"  
  
Harry nodded.  
  
"Well, I am afraid that we cannot offer you your previous job back. If you would like to apply for a new one, we can help you. I believe that you want to become an Auror, correct?"  
  
Harry didn't even bother to ask how she knew. "Yes."  
  
"Well, there is a training program for Aurors that you could apply for. We have not received your N.E.W.T. marks yet, but they are arriving tonight. You can apply today, if you wish, and we will check your grades tomorrow as part of the application."  
  
Harry smiled. "That would be great."  
  
"Well, to apply to be an Auror you must fill out an application and have the proper marks. After that, there is the schooling. You must be adept at Potions, Defence Against the Dark Arts, Transfiguration, and some things which you did not study at school, such as Magical Disguise. The teaching usually takes two to three years."  
  
Harry nodded. He could deal with that. "Is it full time? Or is it possible to have a job as well?"  
  
The witch nodded. "You can hold a job while you are learning, but you might want to pick something that is not too strenuous."  
  
Harry thanked her and left. Definitely not what he had planned, but definitely what he wanted.  
  
When he got home, there was an owl waiting on his bed. "Hey, Pig." He said. Pig squeaked and flew quickly around the room. Harry laughed. "Slow down, I need to get your letter!"  
  
Pig landed on Harry's shoulder, and he struggled the letter off of the owls leg.  
  
Dear Harry:  
  
How is your summer going? I got a job with Fred and George. They decided that they would let me have another chance at the store, and I'm looking at what I want to do. I still want to be an Auror, but I can't decide for sure until I get my marks. Once we apply, maybe we'll both get in! That would be great!  
  
-Ron  
  
P.S. Mum said she would love to have you come over this summer.  
  
Harry sat down on his bed. "Are you going to wait for a response?" He asked pig, who hooted in response.  
  
Dear Ron:  
  
I applied to be an Auror just today. I haven't gotten my marks yet, but the witch at the Ministry said that she receives them anyway. Right now, I'm not really working, I'm just trying to find a place to live. I've been trying to get somewhere near Diagon Alley, but it's been hard. I'm really sorry, but I'm a bit busy to come to your house. I want to keep looking, and I want to find a job, because the witch at the Ministry said that I could still work while in school. Have you been to the Ministry for it yet? The witch said that there is two years of school, and a test, I think. Well, make sure you tell me when you come into London, so we can do something.  
  
-Harry  
  
He tied the letter to Pigs leg and watched the owl fly off.  
  
Harry sat back down on the bed. The witch was getting his marks tonight, which meant that he probably would get them any time.  
  
He went downstairs for dinner. When he got back, there was a Hogwarts owl waiting for him.  
  
He took the letter, and the owl flew away.  
  
Harry took a deep breath and opened the letter.  
  
Dear Mr. Potter:  
  
Congratulations on graduating from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Here are your grades for your N.E.W.T.s I sincerely hope you enjoyed you time at our school, and good luck with the rest of your career.  
  
Minerva McGonagall Deputy Headmistress Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry  
  
Harry took another deep breath and unfolded the other piece of paper.  
  
Astronomy: Exceeds Expectations History of Magic: Exceeds Expectations Potions: Outstanding Herbology: Exceeds Expectations Defence Against the Dark Arts: Outstanding Transfiguration: Outstanding Care of Magical Creatures: Exceeds Expectations Charms: Exceeds Expectations  
  
(A/N: I cannot remember if there are any more classes that he takes. People are going to say Divination, but I had Harry quit that, so I think that's it. But there were so many more when he took his O.W.L.s, so if there are any I forgot, just say that he got Exceeds Expectations)  
  
Harry laughed. He looked over them again. There must have been some mistake. There was no way these were his grades. Outstanding in Potions? That was impossible.  
  
He ran downstairs to tell Sirius.  
  
"Hey, Harry." said Lupin.  
  
Harry grinned. "Look! Look at my grades!"  
  
Lupin raised his eyebrows. "Harry, this is amazing. Some of the best wizards didn't get marks this good." He paused and looked at Harry. "Your father didn't get marks this good."  
  
Harry smiled. "Cool."  
  
"What's all the noise?" said Sirius, walking in and sitting across the table from Harry.  
  
Harry grinned. "I did really well on my exams."  
  
Lupin chuckled. "Sirius, he did better than well. He did amazingly."  
  
Sirius reached out and took the paper. "Wow." He said.  
  
Harry kept grinning. "Excuse me, I have to go tell everyone I know."  
  
Sirius laughed, and Harry went upstairs to write to his friends.  
  
The next day, he got an owl from the Ministry.  
  
Dear Mr. Potter:  
  
We would like to apologize on behalf of our applications office. We were wrong, there is a place at the Ministry of Magic for you, if you would like to work here. We would gladly offer you the job you carried out last summer, and over your Christmas holiday. If you would like to accept this job, at your original salary, please come to work on Monday. I know that you have applied to be an Auror, and we would be happy to have you work part time to make it work. It would be a pleasure having you on our staff!  
  
C. Chang Ministry Assistant.  
  
P.S. Harry- I'm sorry it's so formal. I had to. I pulled some strings, and the Minister really wants you to work here, so please come back. The truth is, it was more fun when you were here.  
  
Harry laughed. "Nice." He said. It was Sunday, so he went downstairs and told Sirius, and went to bed.  
  
He woke up early the next morning. He knew he didn't need to be up so early, but it seemed right to arrive at work early on his first day. He apparated into work at eight o'clock, an hour early.  
  
Cho was already there when he got there. "Morning." He said.  
  
She looked up. "Goodness, you're here early. I'm usually the only person here until at least nine o'clock."  
  
Harry smiled. "Don't you have a life?"  
  
Cho frowned. "That's very rude, Harry." She pointed to some papers. "Get to work on those papers. It's stuff about the election. Your job is to help me organize it. Right now, I need you to find places to have the voters go to, well, vote. I need about a hundred around the area."  
  
Harry looked at her. "Err, Cho, what exactly is 'the area?'"  
  
She smiled weakly. "England, France, Scotland, Ireland, and all of the Scandinavian/Norwegian areas. You know, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, Greenland. Stuff like that."  
  
Harry nodded. "Only a hundred?"  
  
She nodded. "There aren't that many people, and to be able to vote, you have to be old enough to apparate. If you can't apparate, you have to find your own way."  
  
Harry smiled. "Okay. I'll get right on it."  
  
It didn't go as quickly as he hoped. It took almost a week to find places, get booths in, broadcast the places, and keep them safe from muggles. But finally, he was finished. Everything was ordered, so when the election happened in two weeks, they would be ready.  
  
"The heavy campaigning starts soon, right?" Harry asked.  
  
Cho laughed. "Harry, the heavy campaigning has been going on for quite a while."  
  
He shrugged. "I haven't seen a newspaper in a month or two."  
  
Cho laughed. "How do you survive?"  
  
Harry grinned. "No idea."  
  
Cho tossed him a newspaper, and he almost gasped. "Why did no one tell me?"  
  
Cho looked up from her work. "What?"  
  
"That Lupin is a candidate?" said Harry.  
  
Cho shrugged. "I thought you knew. Besides," She blushed, "I wasn't really talking to you when it happened."  
  
Harry smiled. "That's alright." He read the article. Lupin was running against a few other people, many of whom Harry did not want to win. "This is amazing. Dolores Umbridge, Remus Lupin, why isn't Fudge running?"  
  
"He can't. His term is up." Cho said, not looking up.  
  
Harry nodded slowly. He looked at the polls, and almost laughed. Out of about five front runners, Lupin wasn't doing that badly.  
  
"This is great!" Said Harry.  
  
Cho smiled. "He's really shown people that half breeds can be normal people too. Goodness knows, he's got all of their votes."  
  
Harry nodded. "He's certainly got mine." He muttered.  
  
Fourteen days to go.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Shannon K. M: Ya, you notice that absolutely nothing happens between them in this chapter?  
  
Indigal: that's not it. I'm too lazy to make a new title, a new summary... I'm just leaving it on this one. But I don't have anything to write about at the moment, so I'm really just killing time and space. Sorry it's boring.  
  
Potter4prez: I'm thinking of having him be a teacher, actually. I was going to have him do the Auror thing, and then be a teacher at Hogwarts, and talk about his adventures back at school. He just can't leave Hogwarts!  
  
Wytil: I don't really like the children stories. I find that everything wraps up too well. I like the stories where in the end, he gets the girl, but you never know if it actually works out. Do they marry? Do they break up? Do they have kids, or does something happen before hand? You get to decide for yourself. Besides, I hate having to make up that many new characters- I suck at it.  
  
Thanks for reading, sorry it was so boring (though I liked it).  
  
-unolimbo 


	21. Election

The next week was a flurry of work. He had to pay more attention to the newspaper than he ever had. He kept track of the candidates, the voters, the authorities. Of course, the authorities were really him and Cho. But that didn't matter that much.  
  
"Why so fancy?" said Harry, when Cho came in to work very dressed up.  
  
She sighed. "I told you this already. I'm making a statement about the election. Remember?"  
  
Harry shrugged. "Sure, why not."  
  
Cho shook her head. She sat down at her desk. She looked at her watch. She shuffled some papers.  
  
"Is there something wrong?" said Harry.  
  
Cho shook her head. "No. I just don't have to leave for another five minutes. I don't have time for any work."  
  
Harry nodded and put down what he was doing. "This is your first big television show, isn't it?"  
  
Cho nodded, grinning.  
  
Harry stood up, as did Cho. He grabbed her hand, almost shaking it. "You'll do fine, don't worry." He smiled.  
  
Cho looked at the ground. "I don't think I'm nervous. I'm just anxious." She looked up at him. "I think."  
  
They were very close to each other. "Cho..." Harry said. He was so close to her, and he wanted to kiss her so badly. He could smell her hair, and he could see her face so closely, every line, every contour of her face. He kissed her.  
  
"Cho," said Harry, pulling away. "I think you need to go. You said five minutes. I think it's been a lot more than five minutes. You should probably go."  
  
She nodded. "Bye, Harry." She walked away from him, letting her arm drag across his as she left, sending shivers up his spine. Harry sighed and sat back down at his desk. They had been so close for such a long time. Weeks, even, and nothing had happened. Now, all of a sudden, for no reason at all, it had happened.  
  
Of course, it hadn't been for no reason. It was never for no reason. There always was a reason, and it was no different than it would be at any time. It was just as perfect.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Harry went to work at four-thirty on August 11th. He met Cho at the Ministry.  
  
"Morning." Cho said, her eyelids drooping.  
  
Harry groaned. "It's not morning. It's the middle of the night."  
  
Cho smiled. "Come on, you woke up this early for Quiddich sometimes, didn't you?"  
  
I guess." said Harry, shrugging.  
  
Cho stood a little straighter. "Well, I guess we'd better get to work." She said.  
  
Harry nodded. They both worked non stop until ten o'clock, when the day officially started. Harry was already worn off his feet.  
  
"Good morning, please put an x in the appropriate box." He muttered to every person that came by. He looked at his watch. 11:45. Fifteen minutes until he was done, and then he needed to come back after lunch to start counting.  
  
He stood up and stretched his legs when he saw his replacement come in.  
  
"Good morning, Mr. Potter." The wizard said.  
  
Harry smiled weakly and walked over to Cho. "You want to come for lunch?" He asked.  
  
Cho nodded. "Let's go." She said.  
  
They walked out of the Atrium and into the elevator, and from there, they stepped into the blinding sunlight. Harry put his hand up to shield his eyes.  
  
"It's weird." Cho announced.  
  
Harry looked at her, squinting. "What is weird?" he asked.  
  
Cho sighed. "Us. We broke up, Harry. We went out twice, and we broke up both times. Don't you think that says something?"  
  
Harry looked down. He focused on the glint on the shiny leather on his shoe.  
  
"I mean, we tried, we really did. And now, I feel like it's happening all over again, and I don't really know why. Are we always going to go on like this? Break up, and when we're bored of being alone, we can get back together again?"  
  
Harry looked up. "I don't think it has to be like that. We just have to realize that having an argument does not mean we need to break up. That's what happened the first time."  
  
Cho nodded. "I guess."  
  
Harry took her hand in his. "Cho, I'm going to become an Auror. After I finish the schooling, I'm not going to be working with you, so we won't have to see each other every single day, on a schedule like this. Maybe, if we try that a bit, and find that we are still spending time and having fun together, it means that this really will work."  
  
Cho looked him in the eye. He could see deep into them. He could see a spark. Somewhere in the depths of her eyes, waiting to find some gasoline to ignite with. "You always have the right thing to say." She smiled  
  
Harry kissed her. "That is because I am the famous Harry Potter."  
  
Cho laughed.  
  
"The Boy Who Lived." Said Harry.  
  
She laughed again.  
  
"The coolest guy ever." Cho added. She kissed him again. "Thanks." They looked at each other. Cho looked at her watch. "Oh! We have to get back. It's almost time to start counting the ballots."  
  
They counted ballots all afternoon. Harry felt like his brain was going to explode. Sheets upon sheets of paper, littering their offices.  
  
"That is 28 thousand in total. And the voting is officially over." Cho said.  
  
Harry lay backwards onto the pile of papers. "What have we got?" He asked.  
  
Cho looked at her chart. She grinned. "You're not going to believe this."  
  
Harry sat up. "What?"  
  
Cho was giddy; she was shaking slightly, and her smiled covered her entire face.  
  
"Our new Minister of Magic..."  
  
Harry nodded, flipping his hand, motioning for Cho to speed up. "Yes, yes?"  
  
She let out a laugh of disbelief, something in between a snort and a giggle. "Our new Minister of Magic is a werewolf."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Indigal: urge did what now? Yay wizarding politics...but it's confusing, because Rowling doesn't realy go into detail, but there are things she says...argh!  
  
Wuzup13579: thanks.  
  
Wytil: he he...what does canon mean again? (oops) I feel that there is no reason for Fudge to continue being Minister. I believe his character is far too one dimensional, and he has burned out. Face it, he's not a good character at all. That's all I have to say about him now. I doubt I'll mention him much more, unless I'm doing flashbacks, or something of the sort.  
  
Potter4Prez: I'm trying to think. What never happens? And all I can come up with is nothing! Something is always happening in HP books, so the only thing that won't happen is nothing! (no, I'm just kidding...I can't think of anything.)  
  
Shannon K. M: Glad you like it!  
  
Well, sleepy time now.  
  
-unolimbo 


	22. Election!

"You're kidding." Harry said, his mouth hanging open. Cho shook her head, clutching the sheet of paper that they recorded the results on.  
  
Harry grinned. "This is great! We have to tell him!"  
  
Cho frowned. "I wish. But we can't, he has to wait until we announce it officially. What time is it?"  
  
Harry looked at his watch. "Four-thirty." He said.  
  
Cho looked around the room. There were still papers everywhere. They had used magic to count the sheets, so it didn't need to be orderly, and it was a mess. "We need to get rid of all of these ballots first."  
  
Harry flicked his wand, and they disappeared. He grinned. "I want to go home. Can we announce it now?"  
  
Cho smiled. "Fine, let's go downstairs. The reporters will be there." She said.  
  
Harry nodded and turned to the door. "Wait a minute." Cho said. Harry looked over. "I'm a mess! I can't be seen like this! I'm going to freshen up."  
  
Harry sighed. "I'm going downstairs." He turned back to her. "And if you take too long, I'm going to do it myself."  
  
Cho laughed. "Fine, do it. I'll be down in a minute."  
  
Harry walked to the elevator. He stepped on and waited. Slowly, the doors closed, and the elevators moved slowly downwards. Harry's palms were sweating slightly. He was crushing the statistics in his fist. It was strange. He had done so much, played so many Quiddich games, fought so many people, and he had never been as nervous as he was when he was going to read a few numbers off a sheet of paper.  
  
The elevators opened to the atrium, and Harry found himself bombarded with reporters. From the Daily Prophet, the Wizarding radio Network, the Wizarding Television Network, and various other magazines and newspapers from around England.  
  
He pushed his way to the front of the crowd. It was strange; all eyes were on him, all these microphones, reporters with their wands out, their Quick Quotes quills, all ready to take down exactly what he said.  
  
He cleared his throat. "Ladies and Gentlemen." He said. The room quieted down immediately, except for the flash of cameras. "28,000 people voted in this election. And, with 12,547 votes, Mr. Remus Lupin is the new Minister of Magic." He looked around. Everyone was scratching things on parchment, quietly speaking into magical video cameras... "The Minister will come into office on the 21st of August, exactly ten days after the election. Thank you."  
  
He stepped backwards. Strangely, no one asked him any questions. They were all looking in other directions; at the door, at cameras, at other reporters. Harry looked at his watch. Lupin would probably be celebrating somewhere. But where? Did he have a campaign office? If he did, Harry didn't know where it was.  
  
Just at that moment, the elevator doors opened. Cho stepped out, and she too was bombarded with questions.  
  
"Is it true? Is our Minister a werewolf?"  
  
"How did this happen?"  
  
"Was the voting right?"  
  
Harry frowned. They didn't believe him. Cho smiled into the cameras. She had gotten used to being asked questions like this. She quickly walked up to the podium and signaled for Harry to come with her. "Ladies and gentlemen, I can assure you the voting was one hundred percent correct. Yes, our new Minister of Magic is a werewolf, and it happened by people, people like you, voting for him. Are there any more questions?"  
  
There were.  
  
"What about Madame Umbridge's laws against half breeds? Do these not affect him?"  
  
Cho frowned. "No they do not because those laws were never actually passed. Madame Umbridge attempted to pass them, but the rest of the Wizengamot did not agree."  
  
There were a few more questions, basically the same thing, asking how it was possible, why it had happened. Cho dealt with them all the same way. Harry was surprised at how easily she did deal with them, he would never have been able to do it himself.  
  
A few minutes later, they were done, and they were ready to go home. "Finally." Harry said. Cho smiled and grabbed his arm.  
  
"What are we going to do now?" She asked.  
  
Harry shrugged. "We should go find Moony. He's got to be somewhere, doesn't he?"  
  
After finding and congratulating Moony at his celebration, Harry was ready to go home. He found Cho again, and told her.  
  
"Alright. I'm going to stay here. I'll see you tomorrow, alright?"  
  
Harry nodded. "Sure."  
  
He decided to walk home, since it was only a few blocks, and he was so tired he was sure he would botch up an apparation.  
  
Just as he was walking down the street to Grimmauld Place, Harry noticed something. He could hear a growling coming from an alley near by. It didn't sound quite like a dog, but he wanted to check.  
  
It wasn't a dog. There, in an alley in downtown London, was a dragon.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Sorry it's so short. I'm starting to get really bored with this story. It's definitely almost over. Probably two or three more chapters, I think, depending on how well this arc goes.  
  
Okay, I have messed up stuff with my reviews, so if I respond to a review twice, or miss one, I'm sorry.  
  
Sahib0120: thanks. Here it is!  
  
Indigal: umm... I ... don't... know... ? ? ? I don't really remember what happened to that little urge.  
  
Wuzup13579: glad you like it.  
  
Wytil: ok, I've definitely answered this one, I know I have! I'm so confused...  
  
Potter4Prez: I completely agree. Something interesting has to happen. BUT IT'S SO HARD! I've been having trouble coming up with something to write. I have another story I wrote in my notebook, but with a bit of tweaking, most of it could fit into this story. Of course, I lost my notebook, so I'd be doing it by memory, which could be difficult. Starting a new section is a good idea, though.  
  
Shannon K. M: thanks!!! It's not the end, don't worry!  
  
Wytil: Damn right it does. 


	23. Starting fresh, relatively speaking

"The hell?" Harry muttered as he was looking around the corner. This was impossible. How could there be a dragon in downtown London?  
  
He slowly backed up, turned and ran. He could probably deal with a dragon on his own, in a worst case scenario, but there were wizards around, and close, so he would check with them. He ran as fast as he could back to Grimmauld place, hoping that someone was there.  
  
He knocked on the door. "Sirius!" He yelled. "Open the door!" There was no answer. "Of course." He said. "you don't have to stay here. You will be at the celebrations." He sighed. "Well, here I go." He muttered. He knew it was not a good idea to do this out side, but he had to apparate there. Thirty seconds later, he was at the celebration.  
  
"Sirius!" He called out to the man, sitting on the other side of the room, a butterbeer in hand. He looked up and waved lightly at Harry, "Sirius," Harry said, "there is a problem. A big problem."  
  
Sirius looked up at him. "What's wrong?" He said, standing up.  
  
Harry was out of breath. "A dragon. There is a dragon in the alley."  
  
Sirius' eyes widened. "What? No, that's impossible."  
  
Harry shook his head. "Just come on." Sirius followed him, but no without alerting Charlie, whom had come to the celebration, and having him come with them. (A/N: I think it was Charlie who did the stuff with the dragons...)  
  
"So where is this dragon?" Charlie said, running behind Harry.  
  
"The next block." He said, running as fast as he could. Sirius was a few steps behind them. Having been in hiding for such a long time, he was not the fittest of men.  
  
Harry stopped in front of the alley. "in here, at the end." Charlie pulled out his wand and slowly snuck down the alley. His voice carried down the alley a moment later.  
  
"Come on down!" He said. Harry quickly walked down.  
  
"Where is it?' he said, seeing Charlie standing in the middle of the alley with his hands on his hips, looking confused.  
  
He sighed. "I have no idea." He said. "It was definitely here, there is no doubt about it. you can see the destruction of the dumpsters, and there are charred pieces on the brick wall." He pointed, and Harry looked. "It took off facing east. See the claw marks in the ground? Those are from it's take off. They are facing east. I am assuming that it went in that direction."  
  
Harry nodded. 'But didn't it really have to take off in that direction? I mean, it can't take off towards a brick wall, which means either east or west. Honestly, I don't think it was large enough for him to turn around, so I think he could have gone in any direction."  
  
Charlie nodded. "I was just about to say that. Look," he said, facing Harry, "this is my jurisdiction. You go home, like you planned, I will call someone in and we will work this out." He put his hand on Harry's shoulder. "Thanks for calling me." He said.  
  
Harry nodded. "No problem." He said.  
  
"Come on, Harry. I'm going to come home as well." Sirius said.  
  
Harry nodded. "I do need some sleep." He said. "Good night." He said to Charlie, and he and Sirius walked back to Grimmauld Place.  
  
Harry was quiet the entire walk back. Sirius turned around as soon as they got inside. "All right, what is it?"  
  
Harry looked up. "Pardon?"  
  
Sirius raised his eyebrows. "You have been sullen the entire way back. What is wrong?"  
  
Harry shrugged. "I'm not quite sure. It just doesn't seem right. I mean, when was the last time a dragon was loose in London?"  
  
Sirius nodded. "I see what you mean. You know what, Harry, just leave it alone. I know it's hard for you to do, and I'm sorry to tell you this, but leave it alone! You are going to get in trouble if you pursue things like this."  
  
Harry nodded.  
  
"And don't try to do this behind my back. This is not like at Hogwarts. Dumbledore is not the Headmaster anymore, he cannot just veto anything you do." He said. "You could lose your position at the Ministry, and you could very, very easily not get into Auror school."  
  
Harry nodded. "I know. I promise I will be good." He said.  
  
Sirius smiled. "That's my boy." He said. "good night." Harry smiled and went upstairs.  
  
He sighed when he got in his room. For the first time in his life, he was truly not going to do anything. He wanted to investigate, more than anything, but he knew that things would just get worse. He decided to write to Hermione and ask her to do some research for him.  
  
Dear Hermione,  
  
I saw a dragon in an alley today. Sirius won't let me investigate, because he says I can lose my job and my chance at Auror school. I don't want you to get yourself in trouble, I just need some information on dragons and why one would be near Grimmauld Place. And if they can be trained.  
  
Thank you for all your help,  
  
Harry  
  
He tied the letter to Hedwig's leg and sent her off. "Have a good flight." He said.  
  
The next few days lasted a very long time. He received his acceptance letter to the Ministry Auror school a few days after the election, and he could barely wait for it to start on September first. Ron sent him a letter saying he had gotten in on Probation. Ron had received a letter that said that fifty percent of the accepted students were on probation, meaning that if their marks were not good enough, they would be sent home. Harry was not on probation, which bothered Ron.  
  
Harry spent most of his free time working with Cho at the Ministry. They were still getting to know each other again, and they had a lot to talk about all summer. Harry was glad they were talking again, but he was not sure. He could barely remember how many times they had broken up and how many times they had gotten back together again. They kept hurting each other, and then telling themselves that it was better soon after.  
  
Harry knew that one day, they would hurt themselves too much to forgive.  
  
He decided that the happiness he and Cho were enjoying was worth the pain later. He went into work on August 31 feeling incredibly excited.  
  
Cho smiled when she saw him. "Harry, please stop bouncing. You are going to give me a headache."  
  
He grinned. "I can't help it! I start tomorrow. I am almost as excited as I was when I started at Hogwarts. Maybe more, because last time, I was terrified as well."  
  
Cho smiled. "Well, I don't think you have anything to worry about this time." She kissed him. "But that's not until tomorrow. We have work to do today."  
  
He nodded. "All right, I'll be good." He sat down at his desk. It was true, he wanted to spend as much time working as he could. After he started school, he would have almost as much work, but a lot less of the time.  
  
He looked at what he had to do. Review the applications for different positions, read over reports on heavy abuse of muggle equipment, things like that.  
  
Harry finished everything by noon. He gave himself the afternoon off and went down to Diagon alley to buy supplies for school the next day. He ran into Ron, who had come by that morning, and insisted that he stay at Grimmauld Place for the night.  
  
"Thanks, mate." Ron said as they walked up the stairs. "I was going to stay at the Leaky Cauldron, but it was going to cost me a fair amount of money." He said sheepishly. "And I haven't passed my apparition test yet."  
  
Harry grinned. "It's no problem." He said. "Hey, guess what? I found an apartment. I'm moving out of Grimmauld Place."  
  
Ron grinned. "That's great!" He said.  
  
Harry nodded. "I know. I'm moving in a couple of weeks. It's about a block from the Ministry."  
  
Ron clapped him on the back. "Congratulations." He said.  
  
"Ron! Welcome!" Sirius said when he saw him. "What are you doing here?"  
  
"Harry invited me for the night." He said.  
  
Sirius smiled. "That's our Harry. Inviting people to houses that are not his own."  
  
Ron looked uneasy, but Harry shook his head. "It's funny, because it is not actually his house." He said, Ron looking very confused. "When Sirius died the first time, I inherited the house. It's under my name."  
  
Ron nodded. "Makes sense."  
  
Harry grinned. "Come on, I want to show you my room. Sirius did this whole thing with games and all sorts of muggle stuff."  
  
(A/N: I'm not really sure. Have I had Ron at Grimmauld Place recently? If I have, sorry about the last few lines.)  
  
Harry barely slept that night. He and Ron spent hours playing games, and when Ron finally went to another bedroom and went to sleep, Harry couldn't do it himself. He was tired, of course, but his eyes just would not close.  
  
Finally, after what felt like only a few minutes of sleep, Harry was woken by Ron shaking him. "Wake up." He said. "Harry, we've got to go."  
  
Harry sat up quickly. "I'm good." He said.  
  
Fifteen minutes later he was ready to go, and they went out the door. "This is going to be so cool!" Ron said.  
  
Harry nodded. He kept walking, wondering what they were getting into. "Where do you think they will start?" He asked.  
  
Ron shrugged. "Maybe at transformations, like the stuff that. I mean, think about Tonks. She said that she did wonderfully in Transformations, because she was a Metamorphmagus. Is it not supposed to be one of the hardest parts? And most important?" He said.  
  
Harry nodded. "Supposedly there is also a lot of physical training. Just in case." He didn't mind physical training. He was a good fighter; he was fast, he had control, and he could take a beating.  
  
Ron looked queasy. "What kind of physical training?" He asked.  
  
Harry smiled. "Tonks said it's not too bad. Just some basic self defense and attack."  
  
Before Ron could ask any more questions, they arrived at the Ministry. As much as Harry had assured Ron they would do fine, he really had no idea what to expect. If there was physical training, like he expected, he could deal with it; he could face pain. He'd done it many times before. He had broken a few limbs, been burned, been stabbed numerous times, and had fallen unconscious more times than he could possibly remember. He could handle pain.  
  
Even Ron, who seemed nervous about it, had great experience. He had broken a few limbs as well.  
  
They stepped into the phone booth and stated their reason for access, and a moment later, the emerged in the great atrium.  
  
"Ron!" Harry stood on his toes to look over the crowd and see who was calling them. It was Charlie. "Hey, Ron do you start today? Congratulations! Mum told me all about it. she was so proud." Ron blushed, and Charlie turned to Harry. "I checked out that dragon. Nothing. No trace of it landing anywhere in the city, no one saw it fly away, nothing. I can't understand it. If it weren't for the signs, I would have just said you were crazy."  
  
Ron looked at Harry. "Dragon?" He said.  
  
"I saw a dragon in an alley." He said.  
  
Ron frowned. "I didn't know that."  
  
"I forgot." Harry shrugged. It was true, he did forget. He didn't really know why he would forget something like that, but for some reason, he did.  
  
Charlie grinned at Ron. "It's no big deal. We found the signs of it, but there was no dragon, so you didn't miss much." He clapped them both on the shoulder and rushed off. Harry watched him go. It was more than just not seeing it in the city. Charlie looked especially stressed, like it was really something more.  
  
He shook his head to clear it as they reached the classroom. They sat down and did something neither of them had expected to do any more: they read their books.  
  
  
  
Well, there it is. I'm really very sorry it took me so long to update. I've been very busy.  
  
OH MY GOD, did anyone see that article on the third movie in the new YM? Daniel Radcliffe was on the first page of it, and he was SOOOO hot. I am, like, completely in love with him, and I sound like some twelve year old, but that is just fine by me, because he is HOT. I will seriously shut up now, I just had to make sure that people acknowledged that picture. The one in Vanity Fair last year was really, really good too.  
  
Wow. Four reviews. I realize that the last chapter was short, but it was almost a month, damn it! Oh well. We reached 100.  
  
Potter4Prez: No, he did not just stab him, I believe he beheaded him too...but I will have to check up on that.  
  
Shannon K. M.: it will wrap up soon...it's getting old. Damn it, all my stories are wrapping up, I'm going to have nothing left to write!  
  
Draggon Knight: probably not...but that is a good idea, I will have to think about it.  
  
Indigal: well, here it is!  
  
"When you're riding in a time machine way far into the future, don't stick your elbow out the window, or it'll turn into a fossil."  
  
-unolimbo 


	24. Return trip

Alright, this is confusing, but the first few paragraphs cover two years. I don't want to write about Harry's experience, because I have a better storyline, so I am rushing this one. Sorry. BTW, I can't remember what I was going to say. I wrote BTW, left, and now I don't remember it. Brilliant. It'll come to me, some day.

Auror school was long and hard. It reminded Harry of Hogwarts, but with more work, less time, and more riding on his marks. If that was even possible. The year of school passed far too slowly. Harry excelled in a lot of it, but it was still hard work; he felt especially sorry for Ron, who had some trouble with it.

Harry tried to talk to Charlie about the dragon, but he promised that there was nothing to talk about. Harry knew he was lying when the Quibbler posted reports of dragon sightings. Normally, he would not trust much he read in the magazine, but he knew something was wrong. People stated that they had seen a dragon, gone to get help, come back, and it was no where to be found. Harry could tell it was the same dragon, but there was nothing he could do. He had to suck it up and live with it for two years until he finished school; then he could go dragon hunting as much as he wanted.

Harry passed the first year with flying colours; Ron scraped by, but his marks were high enough to be guaranteed a spot back the second year.

Harry kept his job for as long as he could, trying to save as much money as possible before he ran out of time and energy and had to quit. He ended up lasting until about Easter, when he had to quit in preparation for exams. Cho gave him a short lecture about his career, but seemed to generally understand that school was important.

Harry had never been excited for the summer before. It was only his second summer without the Dursleys, and it was the first one after Auror school. He was glad for the break, however short it was.

By the end of the second year, he and Ron were Aurors. They had worked harder at it then they had in anything else before, and they were proud of their marks. Harry passed with high honours, Ron, honours. They were officially Aurors.

Harry had found the transformations fairly easy, as he had great practice with being an animagus. Ron did very well as well, as a result of the D.A. and Professor McGonagall insisting on teaching them all animagus. They also did well on the defence because of the D.A.

"This is going to be so cool." Ron said, when Mrs. Weasley had finally stopped hugging him.

"Cool?" She shot him a glance. "Ronald Weasley, this is not 'cool,' this is an important step in your life, and it is also incredibly dangerous! I warned you when you applied that you would have to take it seriously!"

Ron winced. "Sorry, mum." He muttered. Harry smiled. Mrs. Weasley had threatened Ron when he applied that if he got himself killed, she would never speak to him again.

Finally, Harry and Ron pried themselves away from Mrs. Weasley, Harry and Ron went to Grimmauld Place. They were planning on finding a pad to live in, and they decided to stay at Grimmauld Place until they found something.

"I wonder how long it will take to get an assignment." Ron said.

Harry shrugged. "I don't know how long it will take, but I hope it's soon. I haven't spent more than the summer months doing nothing since I got accepted to Hogwarts."

Ron grinned. "What time did Hermione say she would get here?" He asked.

Harry shrugged. "She should be here soon."

Just at that moment, the doorbell rang. Ron winced as a preparation for old Mrs. Black's scream, forgetting that they had finally removed her painting a few years earlier.

Harry jumped up and ran down the stairs to answer the door. There, standing in front of him, was not only Hermione, but Cho. Harry had barely seen Cho in the past few months, and he was glad to see both of them. Hermione had been in school as well, studying to be a healer, but she was schooling out in France, and didn't get many chances to come home.

"Harry!" She said, giving him a big hug. Cho smiled and hugged him as well. Ron almost fell down the stairs following Harry, and stood up again quickly, blushing. Hermione leaned into Harry and said, "are you sure he passed? I think Aurors are supposed to be able to stand."

Ron blushed even more, but the other three of them just laughed.

Weeks of early summer passed by, and neither Harry nor Ron got a job. Then, one day in mid July, an owl flew from the Ministry.

"Harry!" Hermione said, as she was staying at Grimmauld Place at the time, "you got an owl!"

Harry looked up. Sure enough, it was a Ministry owl. He jumped up and met it at the window. After unrolling the letter, Harry looked at it and smiled.

"S'for you, Ron." Ron's face lit up as Harry said this. He jumped up and ripped the letter from Harry's hands. He stood there, his hands trembling, staring at the envelope.

"For god's sake, open it!" Hermione snapped.

Ron jumped. "Right. Sorry." He quickly tore open the letter and read it out loud.

"Dear Mr. Weasley," he said, "you are to arrive at the Ministry at 9 o'clock sharp tomorrow morning for your assignment. Thank you, Ministry of Magic, Auror branch."

He looked up. "I have an assignment. I have an assignment!"

Hermione jumped off the bed she was sitting on and gave him a hug. "Congratulations." She said.

Harry smiled. He was proud of his best friend, but where was his letter? Why was he not getting an assignment?

Ron went to the Ministry the next morning, and didn't come home. He sent a letter saying that he was out of London, and would be back soon. Harry still got no letter from the Ministry.

Finally, one day, a week after Ron left, Harry received a letter. But it was not from the Ministry. It was from Hogwarts. "Why would you get Hogwarts mail?" Cho asked him when he told her.

Harry shrugged, staring at the letter. He opened it, and read it over three times before he realized what it said.

"They're offering my the Defence Against the Dark Arts job."

Harry accepted the job. He had to think about it a bit, not knowing if he wanted to leave his friends, but not sure if he would be getting any assignments soon. He decided to check with the Ministry. He tried to find out through the Auror department, but they wouldn't tell him. Finally, Cho did some investigating, and learned that they were saving Harry for the big problems, and they weren't expecting anything any time soon. So Harry accepted the job.

As the Defence Against the Dark Arts professor, Harry had to come up with most of his supplies before school started. He scoured the streets of Diagon Alley and even ventured into Knockturn Alley, just trying to find things that would be interesting. He spent hours at the Library in Diagon Alley, trying to find information on creatures that he could teach about. He looked over his notes from when he was a student, deciding which creatures and spells were important, and making sure he had everything on the curriculum.

"Are you ready?" Cho asked him the day before he left, as they walked together.

Harry shrugged. "I think so. I feel like I know everything I can know, but I'm not sure if I'm the best teacher."

Cho smiled. "Your students loved you last time. I'm sure it will be the same."

Harry sighed. "Sure, they liked me, but did I do a good job? Were they prepared when I was done with them?"

Cho smiled. "Harry, you only taught them for a year. There is no way to know right now. But they all passed their exams easily. I think that means they were ready. And," she added, "we learned so much from you in the D.A."

Harry smiled. "Alright, fine. I'll go. But if you hear anything from Ron, send it straight to me, okay?"

She nodded. "Of course."

Harry nodded sharply. "Excellent." He said. "Now, I have to get home to pack."

Cho kissed him. "Have a great time, Harry. I know you will do an amazing job, and write me often, okay?"

Harry smiled. "Of course."

He kissed Cho again, and left.

Well, there you are. That is my story...I have more, like I said, but I don't know how much. Just be bloody happy with it.

Alright, there was a bit of a mix up, and I accidentally put the new chapter at the beginning. Don't know how that happened. I fixed it, so don't worry.

Rubber Duck: I think you mean that I put the new chapter at the beginning? I'm not really sure... but I think that's what I fixed...

Desert Hacker: No it's not, I just didn't realize I titled them the same thing.

Rubber Duck: yeah... sorry about that. I fixed it.

FSI: Of course.

Shannon K.M.: thanks, I will!

It takes a big man to cry, but it takes a bigger man to laugh at that man.

-unolimbo


	25. A Sight to Behold

Anyone who read this story before will note a bit of a discrepancy at the beginning of this chapter. Doesn't make sense, does it? Well, that is because, if you look back to chapter 24, you will see: I took out about half of the chapter. I realized that what I had written was actually notes for another story I am writing. Consequentially, I had to take it out. I promise you, that part of the chapter will pop up again, probably in a few months. I can also promise you that I will attempt to make the rest of this story as riveting as everything before it.

Ah, screw that. I'm going to write the same crappy way I always do!!!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Harry decided to fly to school. The train would not be arriving with the students for another week, so Harry had to make his own travel accommodations. Unfortunately, flying was just as uncomfortable as it had been every other time he had flown long distances; it made him cold, wet, and tired. It was raining.

He ran up the stairs to the warmth of the castle.

After the sorting was finished, Dumbledore stood to make his yearly announcements. "Welcome to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Firstly, the Forbidden Forest is just that; forbidden to all students. Other than that, you are free to roam the school grounds. Second, I would like to introduce your new Defence Against the Dark Arts professor, Professor Potter."

Harry nodded slightly to acknowledge Dumbledore.

"We are sure that Professor Potter will last longer here than some of our other Defence professors." Dumbledore smiled like the old man he was, amused by his own joke. A few people chuckled along with him. There were hushed whispers around the room. None of the students could really believe that Harry was going to be their teacher, especially since the majority of them had been at the school when he was head boy. Many of them had been there for many of Harry's most embarrassing moments, and most glorious. Many of them had been there that day when the entire world thought he had died, and he flew grandly into the school. Some of them had been there for the horrible happenings in Harry's fourth year, and many had even had him as a teacher before, when he taught in his final years.

But that was all in the past. He was no longer a hero to them. He was no longer a peer, a fellow student. He was their teacher.

The first few classes he had went well.

"Good morning, class," Harry said, walking out of his office to see a room full of third year students. Harry looked them over. They did not look particularly intimidated. He didn't really care. He didn't want to be scary. "Put away your wands, you won't be needing them." He said.

The class groaned. They all knew that putting away their wands was code for 'doing absolutely nothing except reading.'

But Harry did not want them to read. He wanted them to discuss. "I want everyone to tell me something they know about dark magic. I want to know encounters you may have had with dark magic, acts of it you have seen performed, acts you may even have performed yourself. You don't have to say who it was that did it; I don't really care. I just want to know what you have all seen." He looked around at the apprehensive class. "Take a moment to think," he said, "then we will go around the room."

A few minutes later, the class was deep into a discussion about the dark magicks. Harry sat back and listened to them, slowly drifting off into thought as they all talked. He thought about Cho, about how Ron was doing on his assignment, about how everything would work in school.

Without him noticing, the class had stopped talking.

"Professor?" Someone asked.

Harry sat up quickly. "Sorry, what was that?" He asked, embarrassed that he had zoned out in class.

The students looked at him apprehensively. "Is there anything else we should do?" Some one asked.

Harry nodded. "Yes, of course! Few of you have experience with the dark magicks, is that correct?"

The students nodded. Harry smiled. "Well then, I guess I should explain my qualifications, unless you are not interested?" He looked around at the students. All eyes were on him, everyone wanted to know.

Harry stood up and walked around his desk, leaning on the front of it. "I guess I should start from the beginning," He said. "I was attacked by Lord Voldemort when I was one." Even now, three years after Harry had killed him, people were still scared of Voldemort. "I encountered him many times over my Hogwarts career..."

He told them his story, and he knew that had done it. Not a student in the class doubted his skills or his knowledge after he spoke about it for half an hour. He only finished moments before the bell rang. "I would like a two inch paragraph about what the Dark Arts are!" He called out, as the students left.

Whatever came next in life, Harry was ready for it.

-----

Maybe he was wrong when he thought that he was ready for whatever came ext. maybe he had jinxed himself, maybe someone had been listening in on his thoughts. Or maybe life just wasn't meant to work out for Harry. Since Harry started at Hogwarts, a DADA teacher had been killed, two had become insane, one had been sacked, one had been kidnapped. Lupin, the second time he was teacher, had quit in order to pursue politics, but other than him and Dumbledore, Hogwarts had not had such good luck with DADA teachers.

Was Harry to be next on the list of teachers whose lives were ruined by Hogwarts? Or was Harry different – the next step; the newest link. He didn't know for sure. When he thought about it, every teacher that had been ruined after Hogwarts had been driven out at least partially because of Harry. Quirrel was taken by Voldemort in order to be near Harry; Lockhart had been driven mad when he turned on Harry and Ron after they led him into the Chamber of Secrets; Lupin had been sacked after being reckless with his lycanthropy while trying to help Harry; Moody had been set as a teacher to protect Harry, but had been kidnapped so that Crouch could get near Harry himself; Umbridge had been driven mad as well, after following Harry and trying to get him in trouble. There was not much left for him.

Harry tried to keep his mind off of his imminent doom by talking to his friends. He had his own room, with his own fireplace, so he could speak with Cho every night, but that was not enough. He had not been able to contact Ron since the day he left on his assignment, though the Ministry insisted that he was alive and well, and he had not been able to get a hold of Hermione, she was so busy with her last year in training as a healer.

Other than the risk he was sure existed, Harry loved being a teacher he loved being able to come and go as he pleased, being able to help students, being able to be the teacher he had always wanted to have teach him.

One day, as he was teaching his third year class about boggarts, Harry heard a sound outside. "Please continue. If you cannot control it, someone step forward so that it will switch forms. If you cannot control it at all, please come and get me." He said distractedly, stepping quietly into the hall. There was nothing there.

He walked slowly towards the window on the other side of the hall. The hallway was open, with great stone windows on the other side – they were on the fourth floor. Harry moved closer, peering over the edge. There was nothing there, either. What had he heard?

Suddenly, a student burst into the hallway. "Professor, I think you should see this!" He cried, and Harry quickly followed him into the room.

Hovering in front of the window in the classroom was a giant dragon's head. The entire class stood, staring at the dragon that was hovering outside. Harry took a step forward. "Class dismissed." He said clearly. "Please go straight to your dormitories." He did not avert his eyes from the dragon. He did not blink. As students filed around him, he slowly reached into his pocket and felt for his wand. When it was comfortably in his grip, he stepped forward to the window. The dragon was still staring at him, complacently. He walked forward until he was at the window, then swiftly pulled himself up onto the sill, still maintaining eye contact with the dragon.

Suddenly, a shape came hurtling from the sky and collided with the dragon. It cried out softly, looking to see what had struck it. More shapes flew from the sky, not hitting the dragon, but flying around it, as Harry realized the first one had done. He tried to focus on the objects. They were moving quickly – and they were yelling.

They were people on broomsticks.

"Oy, watch for the tail!"

"Be careful – it could snap at any time!"

"Stun it!"

"Don't let it attack him!"

"Harry, get back inside!"

Harry stood on the sill, staring out at everything that was happening. He wished he had a pair of Omnioculars to slow everything down. Who were these people? Why were they here? Why was there a dragon here? Why did they all know who he was?

They all seemed to think that this dragon was planning on attacking Harry, but he could see that was not the case. There was something wrong. It looked sad – it was pained to be captured, not angry – and it appeared to be going down with very little fuss. It did not try to hurt anyone, only to make it so that it could still watch Harry.

Moments later, it was completely subdued, and six men, holding it in a net, turned away and flew back over the Forbidden Forest.

Harry stared at them, incredulous. One of the remaining men flew down and landed on the sill, his cloak covering his face. Harry saw him struggle to stand up straight on the sill, though he was tall enough to grab hold on the lintel above him.

"Well, it's good to see you, mate!" He said cheerily, pulling back his hood.

Ron Weasley was staring at Harry.

Harry stared at him. "What in bloody hell are you doing here?" He asked.

Ron rolled his eyes. "Some way to greet you best friend!" He said, punching Harry, then almost losing his balance again. "Aren't you going to invite me in? This sill is a bit precarious!"

Harry nodded and jumped down from the sill, leading Ron up the stairs into his warm office.

"What are you doing here?" Harry asked again.

Ron grinned. "Saving your back, what does it look like?"

Harry frowned. "You were not saving me. That dragon was doing nothing wrong."

Ron looked at Harry seriously. "Harry, you know how dangerous they are. They must not come out like that! They don't belong here!"

Harry shook his head. "It's not that it was here; it is that it was not dangerous at all. It looked like you could have just walked up to it and pulled a leash around it's neck, and it would follow you." 

Ron grinned. "That doesn't matter now." He said, settling down with a cup of tea that Harry had just handed him. "What have you been up to? I didn't know you were teaching here, what I surprise I got when I saw you standing there!"

Harry nodded slowly. 'Yes, I got the letter about a week after you left," he said. "I didn't get an assignment, so I took it."

Ron shook his head, grinning. "And you said you'd never do it, mate! We said you would come back to Hogwarts!"

Harry grinned. "Enough about me, I'm boring! Where on earth have you been?"

Ron shrugged. "I can't really say..."

Harry frowned. "I am your best friend and also an auror. Tell me!"

Ron looked uneasy, but spoke. "We have been working with these dragons. They have been leaving their natural habitats and coming to England and Scotland, as you can probably tell." he added sarcastically. "We have been studying them, trying to figure out why they are here. They wanted aurors because we knew how to deal big spells."

Harry nodded, perplexed. There was something indeed wrong with these dragons. They were quieter, lamer, focussed on something. Suddenly, Harry realized what was wrong with them, why they came so willingly into cities without getting nervous and destroying things, why they did not attack Harry.

They were domesticated.

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Ooh! That can't be good! So someone has made pets of our lovely dragons...ooh! I want one for my very own! Well, this can either be very bad, or very good. I am not quite sure which. This is why I should really write outlines. I have been stalling since I came up with the first dragon sighting, because I didn't know what I wanted to do with them.

Argh!

Rubber Duck: eh, I was just stalling. I am really running out of things to do with Harry...it is difficult when I have written thirty seven chapters in these two stories, and an entire other story (though it's not all posted). I am rereading the books and hoping I get something (I have also lost the writing style, I have noticed... I have spent so long writing Tamora Pierce that I am trying to write like her... and wow, I left a bit from talking to you, didn't I! Sorry bout that!

Bloomz-baby: of course!

Slimpun: they are going out... Harry is just away at Hogwarts now, so it is a bit of long distance... but yes, they are going out again.

FSI: HELLO OF COURSE I WILL I AM DONE TALKING NOW!!!

WhiteWizard101: dude, it's not over!

Fifthflame: cool...yay signage! Yay...I love having this massive list of people who put me on their favourites list...yay!

Acknowledge: dude, you review a lot. So much to say! It is true, description is a good filler, but I am HORRIBLE at it. I totally know what you mean about the sleep thing...I used to read a lot of fictions, but now I just write them. When I did, I would stay up all hours of the night to read them (they are more entertaining then) eh, sometimes I just end it to get it out and keep people happy. And dude, what ending are we talking about? I always have one or two spelling mistakes...but I think I do pretty well! Yay for Lupin indeed! I understand short reviews (you sure give a lot of them...whew!) Hmm... I never thought of that. I usually think; how would that work, I realize, of course, that it is magic, but I usually would rather have them be people first, wizards second in some cases. Some it is important for them to be wizards first, but I don't think this is one. But it is a great idea; if I had thought of it, I would not be on this rant defending my writing!

Wow...it has been such a long time since I updated....wow!

"If you define cowardice as running away at the first sign of danger, screaming and tripping and begging for mercy, then yes, Mr. Brave man, I guess I'm a coward."

-unolimbo


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